System, method, and apparatus for electric power grid and network management of grid elements

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and apparatus for smart electric power grid communication are disclosed in the present invention. At least one grid element is constructed and configured in network-based communication with a server via at least one coordinator. The at least one grid element is transformed into at least one active grid element automatically and/or autonomously after initial connection with the server. The at least one active grid element sends and receives messages to and from the server via at least one coordinator. The at least one coordinator matches and prioritizes the at least one active grid element. The at least one coordinator provides a priority flag on the messages. The at least one coordinator tracks an actual amount of power introduced to and available for an electric power grid or a curtailment power available from the at least one active grid element.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to and claims priority from the following U.S.Patent Applications. This application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/187,020, filed Feb. 26, 2021, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/751,670, filed Jan.24, 2020 and issued U.S. Pat. No. 10,938,236, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/670,692, filed Aug. 7, 2017 andissued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,559,976, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/518,287, filed Oct. 20, 2014 and issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 9,729,011, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/290,590, filed May 29, 2014 and issued as U.S.Pat. No. 8,930,038, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/050,328, filed Oct. 9, 2013 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,761,952, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/757,772, filed Feb. 2, 2013 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,588,991,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/563,535,filed Jul. 31, 2012 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,513,648, each of whichis incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical powermanagement systems, and more particularly, to systems, methods, andapparatus embodiments for electric power grid and network registrationand management of grid elements.

2. Description of Related Art

Generally, electric power management systems for an electric power gridare known. However, most prior art systems and methods apply to normalgrid management, macro (large) generation subsystems, transmissionsubsystems for transporting high voltage power bulk power todistributions systems where it is sent to end customers. Prior art tocontrol power load curves include load curtailment where controlsmanaging the system are used to deactivate or reduce power supplied topredetermined service points from the grid. In addition advances inmacro-generation and a transformation from Coal based generation to gasbased generation has led to new (large) gas fired turbines and theirassociated subsystems to manage introduction of supply to the grid, butnot particularly operable to smaller distributed supply sources ormethods or technologies introduce a new elements to the grid whereinthose elements are immediately identified, tracked, and managed withinthe overall electric grid system for meeting the needs and/orrequirements of an energy management system (EMS) and/or grid governingauthority.

In particular, relevant prior art is known for the management oftraditional large scale energy supply and technologies associated withtransmission, distribution and consumption of electricity in the powersystem. Collecting, transmitting, storing, and analyzing informationassociated with a variety of devices associated with the electric powergrid is also known in the art.

By way of example, relevant prior art documents include the following:

U.S. Pat. No. 7,502,698 filed Jul. 5, 2005 by inventors Uenou et al.,issued Mar. 10, 2009, and assigned on the face of the issued patentdocument to IP Power Systems Corp. for Power consumption measuringdevice and power control system, describes a single phase, 3-wirewatthour meter that measures power consumption, alters a contractcapacity, controls the stop/start of power supply/distribution, andupdates programs from a higher level control apparatus, including acentral processing unit, a storing means, a communicating means, andinterfaces; the device measures the detailed behavior of a powerconsumption by totaling a power consumption every 30 minutes (and aclocking process for clocking a standard time and for collecting datawithin that time), interlocks with a gas leakage detector and a firealarm, controls opening/closing of rain doors and the operation/stop ofInternet home electric appliances, and enables low-cost communication bymeans of dynamic IP address based communication.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,022 for Power management coordinator system andinterface, describes a power management system and interface providing aflexible and uniform protocol for controlling power management within acomputer system including various software layers and add-in components;a programmable power policy manager, which allows user to define aperformance/economy setting for the system that is communicated to allregistered devices so that dwell and decay times are set by the device;and a programmable event sequencer, which maintains an eventnotification sequence and control sequence for power events; aprogrammable power budgeter that maintains and allocates power on arequest basis for system elements; a programmable thermal budgeter thatmaintains and allocates energy based on thermal considerations; and acomputer system including a bus for communicating address and datainformation, a central processor couple to the bus for executinginstructions and processing data, and memory coupled to the bus forcontaining information, and a power management coordinator that includesa power management core for communication of power managementinformation with system devices within the computer system under auniform power management protocol, wherein particular devices are add-indevices requiring power management, and one of the devices providesprogrammable dwell time and decay time periods for power management ofthe add-in devices, wherein power events are generated by clients andbroadcast by power management core to power management clients,including a power event sequencer for maintaining a particular sequenceof communication about the power events.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,095,233 filed Oct. 10, 2006 by inventors Shankar et al.,issued Jan. 10, 2012 and assigned on the face of the issued patent toAmerican Grid, Inc., for Interconnected premises equipment for energymanagement, describing a system for facilitating direct monitoring andcontrol of energy-consuming appliances, in real time, using automaticprogrammatic control and a plurality of human interfacing includinglocal display and control, email, web browser, text messaging, andintegrated voice response, and describing a monitoring and controlcoordinator that provides centralized coordination of functions and oneor more communicating appliance interfaces that interact with energyconsuming appliances that are interconnected via wired and wirelesscommunication networks and protocols, wherein the system allows a userto regulate energy consumption of a premises for heating and airconditioning systems, including a premises control communication gatewayin communication with the monitoring and control coordinator.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,528 field Aug. 15, 2000 by inventors Bertram et al.,issued Oct. 9, 2001, assigned on the face of the patent document toRobert Bosch GmbH, describes a method and an arrangement for controllingelectric consumers in a vehicle that are suggested with a controlstructure provided for consumers, the control structure including atleast a high-ranking consumer management that receives requests from theconsumers with respect to consumer power individually or as sums; thecontrol structure including a coordinator for the vehicle electricalsystem and power generation therefor, and for receiving the sum of therequested consumer power from the consumer management; the vehicleelectric system adjusting the requested electric power via orders to thevehicle electrical system components and the consumer management takingthe generated electrical power via control of the consumers.

US Patent Application Publication No. 20070067132 for Method andapparatus for routing data streams among intelligent electronic devices,disclosing an intelligent electronic device (IED) for protection,monitoring, controlling, metering, or automation of lines in anelectrical power system, wherein the LED is adapted to communicated witha variety of other IEDs, including a communication configuration settingthat is configured to allow communication with one of the other IEDs;and further including an input element in communication with thecommunication configuration setting, whereupon a signal from the inputelement selects a particular communication configuration settingtherein, allowing for the communication with other IEDs. Also, includinga data stream management device for routing data streams among IEDsassociated with the electrical power system, wherein the data streamsare substantially unaltered from sent and received forms, and an LEDassociated with the data stream management device and adapted tocommunicate with the other LEDs, wherein assertion of an input elementselects a particular communication configuration setting.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,609,158 filed Oct. 26, 2006 issued Oct. 27, 2009 forinventors Banting et al., and assigned on the face of the patentdocument to Cooper Technologies Co., describes a communications networkfor an electrical power distribution system, the network communicatingmonitoring signals and control signals for a network of electricalcircuits, the network including a sensor node with a sensor deviceconfigured to detect an operating condition of the transmission ordistribution systems, a sensor communication node corresponding to thesensor device, and configured to transmit a first wireless signalcorresponding to the detected operating condition oftransmission/distribution, a control communication node separatelyprovided from the sensor communication node, configured to receive thefirst wireless signal and transmit a second wireless signalcorresponding to the first wireless signal, a gateway device incommunication with the control communication node and receiving thesecond wireless signal, and wherein the sensed electrical signals arebroadcast.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,060,259 field Jun. 15, 2007 for inventors Budhraja etal., issued Nov. 15, 2011 and assigned on the face of the patentdocument to Electric Power Group, LLC, (also see US Patent ApplicationPub. No. 20100100250) for Wide area, real time monitoring andvisualization system, describes a real-time performance monitoringsystem for monitoring an electrical power grid, including grid portionshaving control areas, and monitoring of reliability metrics, generationsmetrics, transmission metrics, suppliers metrics, grid infrastructuresecurity metrics, and markets metrics for the electric power grid,wherein the metrics are stored in a database, and visualization of themetrics is displayed on a computer having a monitor.

US Patent Application Pub. No. 20090119039 filed Nov. 7, 2007 byinventors Banister et al., published May 7, 2009 and assigned on theface to SPROUTLETS, INC., describes an electrical power metering systemincluding a plurality of gated power receptacles, each of them beingconfigured to selectively provide electrical power in response toreceiving a wireless signal, and further including a service applicationconfigured to receive a request to provide electrical power for one ofthe receptacles, the request including an identifier that designates thereceptacle at which power is requested. A local host applicationexecutable on a computing device is configured to send wireless signalsvia a coordinator module to the receptacle to provide power in responseto receiving a communication from the service application that includesthe identifier.

In the area of managing supply of energy to the grid, detailedattachment modeling is required; also, due to the requirements that anyamount of supply, even micro-scale supply, must comply with standardsapplicable to full scale utilities or macro-generation supply, thiscompliance is difficult and expensive. However, there are relevant priorart documents relating to management electric power grids in the fieldof the present invention.

By way of example, consider the following US Patent and US PatentApplication Publication documents:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,022 issued Sep. 24, 1996, filed Jul. 19, 1994 byinventors Dunstand, et al., and assigned on the face of the document toIntel Corporation, for Power management coordinator system andinterface.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,528 issued Oct. 9, 2001, filed Aug. 15, 2000 byinventors Bertram et al., and assigned on the face of the patent toRobert Bosch GmbH for Method and device for controlling electricconsumers in a motor vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,502,698 issued Mar. 10, 2009, filed Jul. 5, 2005 byinventors Uenou et al., and assigned on the face of the patent to IPPower Systems Corp., for Power consumption measuring device and powercontrol system.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,095,233 issued Jan. 10, 2012, filed Oct. 10, 2006 byinventors Shankar et al., and assigned on the face to American Grid,Inc., for Interconnected premises equipment for energy management.

US Patent Application Publication No. 20070067132 published Mar. 22,2007 and filed Sep. 19, 2006 by inventors Tziouvaras et al., for Methodand apparatus for routing data streams among intelligent electronicdevices.

US Patent Application Publication No. 20080040479 filed Aug. 9, 2007 byinventors Bridge, et al. and assigned on the face of the publication toV2Green, Inc. for Connection locator in a power aggregation system fordistributed electric resources, discloses a method to obtain thephysical location of an electric device, such as an electric vehicle,and transforming the physical location into an electric networklocation, and further including receiving a unique identifier associatedwith a device in a physical location. See also related publicationsWO2008073477, US Pat. Application No.'s 20110025556, 20090043519,20090200988, 20090063680, 20080040296, 20080040223, 20080039979,20080040295, and 20080052145.

International Patent Application No. WO2011079235 filed Dec. 22, 2010and published Jun. 30, 2011 by inventor Williams and assigned on theface of the document to Interactive Grid Solutions, LLC for Distributedenergy sources system, describes an energy management system thatincludes distributed energy sources (for example a wind turbine) thatcommunicate with consumer devices and electric utilities, wherein a CPUis in communication with the distributed energy source and is operableto control the flow of energy produced by the distributed energy source.

International Patent Application No. WO2012015508 filed May 2, 2011 andpublished Feb. 2, 2012 by inventor Cherian, et al. and assigned on theface of the document to Spriae, Inc. for Dynamic distributed power gridcontrol system, describes a control system for a distributed power gridthat includes a simulation module operative to directly interface withthe operational control of the distributed energy resources (DER) todevelop and dynamically modify the control inputs of the distributedpower grid, and wherein the distributed control module can simulatecontrol response characteristics of the DER to determine controlmethodology by conducting decentralized and distributed simulation. Seealso WO201200879, WO2012015507, US Pat. Application No.'s 20110106321,20120029720, and 20120029897.

International Patent Application No. WO2012058114 filed Oct. 21, 2011and published May 3, 2012 by inventor Alatrash, et al. and assigned onthe face of the document to Petra Solar, Inc. for Method and systemfacilitating control strategy for power electronics interface ofdistributed generations resources, discloses a method and system forimplementing a control strategy for distributed generation (DG) units,wherein the DG unit behaves similarly to a synchronous generator.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,949,435 filed Aug. 9, 2007 and issued May 24, 2011 toinventors Pollack, et al. and assigned to V2Green, Inc. on the face ofthe document entitled User interface and user control in a poweraggregation system for distributed electric resources, describes amethod and operator interface for users or owners of a distributed powerresource, such as an electric vehicle, which connects to a power grid,wherein the user or owner controls a degree of participation of theelectric resource power aggregation via the user interface, and furtherincluding an energy pricing preference, a vehicle state-of-charge, and apredicted amount of time until the electric resource disconnects from apower grid. See also US Patent Application Pub. Nos. 20090043520 and20080039989.

US Patent Application Pub. No. 20110282511 filed Mar. 26, 2011 andpublished Nov. 17, 2011 to inventor Unetich and assigned on the face ofthe document to Smart Power Devices Ltd for Prediction, communicationand control system for distributed power generation and usage, describesan apparatus for obtaining, interpreting and communicating a userreliable and predictive information relevant to the price of electricityservice at a prospective time.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,844,370 filed Aug. 9, 2007 and issued Nov. 30, 2010 byinventors Pollack et al. and assigned on the face of the document toGridPoint, Inc. for Scheduling and control in a power aggregation systemfor distributed electric resources, describes systems and methods for apower aggregation system in which a server establishes individualInternet connections to numerous electric resources intermittentlyconnect to the power grid, such as electric vehicles, wherein theservice optimizes power flows to suit the needs of each resource andeach resource owner, while aggregating flows across numerous resourcesto suit the needs of the power grid, and further including inputtingconstraints of individual electric resources into the system, whichsignals them to provide power to take power from a grid.

US Patent Application Pub. No. 20090187284 filed Jan. 7, 2009 andpublished Jul. 23, 2009 by inventors Kreiss et al. for System and methodfor providing power distribution system information, describes acomputer program product for processing utility data of a power grid,including a datamart comprised of physical databases storing utilitydata applications comprising an automated meter application configuredto process power usage data from a plurality of automated meters, apower outage application configured to identify a location of a poweroutage, and a power restoration application configured to identify alocation of a power restoration. See also US Pat. Application No.'s20110270550, 20110270457, and 20110270454.

The increased awareness of the impact of carbon emissions from the useof fossil fueled electric generation combined with the increased cost ofproducing base load, intermediate, and peak power during high loadconditions has increased the need for alternative solutions utilizingnew power technologies as a mechanism to defer, or in some caseseliminate, the need for the deployment of additional generation capacityby electric utilities, generating utilities, or distributing utilitiesor any grid operator or market participant whose primary function is tofacilitate the production, distribution, operation and sale ofelectricity to individual consumers. Existing electric utilities arepressed for methods to defer or eliminate the need for construction offossil-based or macro large scale electricity generation while dealingwith the need to integrate new sources of generation such as renewableenergy sources or distributed energy resources whose production andintegration into the electric grid is problematic.

Today, a patchwork of systems exist to implement demand response loadmanagement programs, dispatch of macro-generation, and energy managementand control for both supplying “negawatts”, supply and grid stability tothe electric utility grid whereby various radio subsystems in variousfrequency bands utilize “one-way” transmit only methods of communicationor most recently deployed a plurality of proprietary two-way methods ofcommunications with electric customers or their load consuming deviceand measurement instruments including, by way of example, “smartmeters.” In addition, macro generation is controlled and dispatched fromcentralized control centers either from utilities, Independent PowerProducers (IPPs) or other Market Participants that utilize point topoint primarily “Plain old telephone service” POTS dedicated low bitrate modems or nailed time division multiplex (TDM) circuits such asT-ls that supply analog telemetry to Energy Management Systems or insome cases physical dispatch to a human operator to “turn on” generationassets in response to grid supply needs or grid stress and high loadconditions. Under traditional Demand Response technologies used for peakshaving, utilities or other market participants install radio frequency(RF)-controlled relay switches typically attached to a customer's airconditioner, water heater, or pool pumps, or other individual loadconsuming devices. A blanket command is sent out to a specificgeographic area whereby all receiving units within the range of thetransmitting station (e.g., typically a paging network) are turned offduring peak hours at the election of the power utility. After a periodof time when the peak load has passed, a second blanket command is sentto turn on those devices that have been turned off. This “load shifting”has the undesired effect of occasionally causing “secondary peaks” andgenerally requires consumer incentives for adoption.

Most recent improvements that follow the same concepts are RF networksthat utilize a plurality of mesh based, non-standard communicationsprotocols that utilize IEEE 802.15.4 or its derivatives, or “ZigBee”protocol end devices to include load control switches, programmablethermostats that have pre-determined set points for accomplishing the“off” or “cut” or reduce command simultaneously or pre-loaded in theresident memory of the end device. These networks are sometimes referredto in the industry as “Home Area Networks” or (HANs). In theseelementary and mostly proprietary solutions, a programmablethermostat(s) or building control systems (PCTs) move the set point ofthe HVAC (or affect another inductive or resistive device) or remove aresistive device from the electric grid thus accomplishing the same“load shifting” effect previously described. All of these methodsrequire and rely on statistical estimations and modeling for measuringtheir effectiveness and use historical information that are transmittedvia these same “smart meters” to provide after-the-fact evidence that anindividual device or consumer complied with the demand response event.Protocols that are employed for these methods include “Smart EnergyProfiles Versions 1 & 2” and its derivatives to provide utilities andtheir consumers an attempt at standardization amongst various OEMs ofPCTs, switching, and control systems through a plurality of protocolsand interfaces. These methods remain crude and do not include real time,measurement, verification, settlement and other attributes necessary tohave their Demand Response effects utilized for effective OperatingReserves with the exception of limited programs for “Emergency” CapacityPrograms as evidenced by programs such as the Energy Reliability Councilof Texas' (ERCOT's) Emergency Interruptible Load Service (ELLS).Furthermore, for effective settlement and control of mobile storagedevices such as Electric Vehicles, these early “Smart Grid” devices arenot capable of meeting the requirements of Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC), North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) orother standards setting bodies such as the National Institute of Science& Technology (NIST) Smart Grid Roadmap.

While telemetering has been used for the express purpose of reportingenergy usage, no cost effective techniques exist for calculating powerconsumption, carbon gas emissions, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) gas emissions,and/or nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) emissions, and reporting the state of aparticular device under the control of a two-way positive control loadmanagement device or other combinations of load control previouslydescribed. In particular, one way wireless communications devices havebeen utilized to de-activate electrical appliances, such as heating,ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) units, water heaters, poolpumps, and lighting or any inductive or resistive device that iseligible as determined by a utility or market participant fordeactivation, from an existing electrical supplier or distributionpartner's network. These devices have typically been used in combinationwith wireless paging receivers or FM radio carrier data modulation, or aplurality of 2-way proprietary radio frequency (RF) technologies thatreceive “on” or “off” commands from a paging transmitter or transmitterdevice. Additionally, the one-way devices are typically connected to aserving electrical supplier's control center via landline trunks, or insome cases, microwave transmission to the paging transmitter. Thecustomer subscribing to the load management program receives a discountor some other form of economic incentive, including direct payments forallowing the serving electrical supplier (utility), retail electricprovider or any other market participant to connect to their electricalappliances with a one-way load control switch and deactivate thoseappliances during high energy usage periods. This technique of demandresponse is used mostly by utilities or any market participant for “peakshifting” where the electric load demand curve is moved from a peakperiod to a less generation intensive time interval and are favored byrate-based utilities who earn capital returns of new power plants or anycapital deployed to operate their electric grids that are approved bycorresponding Public Utility Commissions. These methods are previous artand generally no conservation of energy is measured. In many instances,secondary peak periods occur when the cumulative effect of all theresistive and inductive devices are released from the “off” statesimultaneously causing an unintended secondary peak event.

While one-way devices are generally industry standard and relativelyinexpensive to implement, the lack of a return path from the receiver,combined with the lack of information on the actual devices connected tothe receiver, make the system highly inefficient and largely inaccuratefor measuring the actual load shed to the serving utility or compliantwith measurement and verification for presenting a balancing authorityor independent system operator for operating reserves. While thedifferential current draw is measurable on the serving electricutility's transmission lines and at electrical bus or substations, theactual load shed is approximate and the location of the load deferral isapproximated at the control center of the serving utility or otherstatistical methods are considered to approximate the individual orcumulative effect on an electric utility grid. The aforementioned“two-way” systems are simultaneously defective in addressing real timeand near real time telemetry needs that produce generation equivalenciesthat are now recognized by FERC Orders such as FERC 745 wheremeasurable, verifiable Demand Response “negawatts”, defined as real timeor near real time load curtailment where measurement and verificationcan be provided within the tolerances required under such programspresented by FERC, NERC, or the governing body that regulate gridoperations. The aforementioned “smart meters” in combination with theirdata collection systems commonly referred to as “Advanced MeteringInfrastructure” generally collect interval data from meters inHISTORICAL fashion and report this information to the utility, marketparticipant or grid operator AFTER the utility or grid operator has sentnotice for curtailment events or “control events” to initiate due tohigh grid stress that includes lack of adequate operating reserves tomeet demand, frequency variations, voltage support and any other gridstabilizing needs as identified by the utility or grid operator andpublished and governed by FERC, NERC, or other applicable regulations.

One exemplary telemetering system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,891,838 B1. This patent describes details surrounding a meshcommunication of residential devices and the reporting and control ofthose devices, via WANs, to a computer. The stated design goal in thispatent is to facilitate the “monitoring and control of residentialautomation systems.” This patent does not explain how a serving utilityor customer could actively control the devices to facilitate thereduction of electricity. In contrast, this patent discloses techniquesthat could be utilized for reporting information that is being displayedby the serving utility's power meter (as do many other priorapplications in the field of telemetering).

An additional exemplary telemetering system is disclosed in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2005/0240315 A1. The primary purpose of thispublished application is not to control utility loads, but rather “toprovide an improved interactive system for remotely monitoring andestablishing the status of a customer utility load.” A stated goal ofthis publication is to reduce the amount of time utility field personnelhave to spend in the field servicing meters by utilizing wirelesstechnology.

Another prior art system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,823, whichdescribes, in detail, the use of proprietary hardware to remotely turnoff or turn on devices within a building or residence. While initiallythis prior art generally describes a system that would assist utilitiesin managing power load control, the prior art does not contain theunique attributes necessary to construct or implement a complete system.In particular, this patent is deficient in the areas of security, loadaccuracy of a controlled device, and methods disclosing how a customerutilizing applicable hardware might set parameters, such as temperatureset points, customer preference information, and customer overrides,within an intelligent algorithm that reduces the probability of customerdissatisfaction and service cancellation or churn.

Attempts have been made to bridge the gap between one-way, un-verifiedpower load control management systems and positive control verifiedpower load control management systems. However, until recently,technologies such as smart breakers and command relay devices were notconsidered for use in residential and commercial environments primarilydue to high cost entry points, lack of customer demand, and the cost ofpower generation relative to the cost of implementing load control ortheir ability to meet the measurement, telemetry, verificationrequirements of the grid operator or ISO. Furthermore, submeteringtechnology within the smart breaker, load control device, command relaydevices or building control systems have not existed in the prior art.

One such gap-bridging attempt is described in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. US 2005/0065742 A1. This publication discloses a systemand method for remote power management using IEEE 802 based wirelesscommunication links. The system described in this publication includesan on-premise processor (OPP), a host processor, and an end device. Thehost processor issues power management commands to the OPP, which inturn relays the commands to the end devices under its management. Whilethe disclosed OPP does provide some intelligence in the power managementsystem, it does not determine which end devices under its control toturn-off during a power reduction event, instead relying on the hostdevice to make such decision. For example, during a power reductionevent, the end device must request permission from the OPP to turn on.The request is forwarded to the host device for a decision on therequest in view of the parameters of the on-going power reduction event.The system also contemplates periodic reading of utility meters by theOPP and storage of the read data in the OPP for later communication tothe host device. The OPP may also include intelligence to indicate tothe host processor that the OPP will not be able to comply with a powerreduction command due to the inability of a load under the OPP's controlto be deactivated. However, neither the host processor nor the OPPdetermine which loads to remove in order to satisfy a power reductioncommand from an electric utility, particularly when the command isissued by one of several utilities under the management of a powermanagement system. Further, neither the host processor nor the OPPtracks or accumulates power saved and/or carbon credits earned on a percustomer or per utility basis for future use by the utility and/orcustomer. Still further, the system of this publication lacks a rewardincentive program to customers based on their participation in the powermanagement system. Still further, the system described in thispublication does not provide for secure communications between the hostprocessor and the OPP, and/or between the OPP and the end device. As aresult, the described system lacks many features that may be necessaryfor a commercially viable implementation.

Customer profiles are often used by systems for a variety of reasons.One reason is to promote customer loyalty. This involves keepinginformation about not only the customer, but about the customer'sactions as well. This may include information about what the customerowns (i.e., which devices), how they are used, when they are used, etc.By mining this data, a company can more effectively select rewards forcustomers that give those customers an incentive for continuing to dobusiness with the company. This is often described as customerrelationship management (CRM).

Customer profile data is also useful for obtaining feedback about how aproduct is used. In software systems, this is often used to improve thecustomer/user experience or as an aid to testing. Deployed systems thathave customer profiling communicate customer actions and other data backto the development organization. That data is analyzed to understand thecustomer's experience. Lessons learned from that analysis is used tomake modifications to the deployed system, resulting in an improvedsystem.

Customer profile data may also be used in marketing and sales. Forinstance, a retail business may collect a variety of information about acustomer, including what customers look at on-line and inside“brick-and-mortar” stores. This data is mined to try to identifycustomer product preferences and shopping habits. Such data helps salesand marketing determine how to present products of probable interest tothe customer, resulting in greater sales.

However, the collection of customer profile information by powerutilities, retail electric providers or any other market participantthat sells retail electric commodity to end customers (residential orcommercial) has been limited to customer account information of grosselectrical consumption and inferential information about how power isbeing consumed but requires customers to take their own actions. Becausepower utilities, REPs, market participants typically are unable tocollect detailed data about what is happening inside a customer's homeor business, including patterns of energy consumption by device, therehas been little opportunity to create extensive customer profiles.

Thus, none of the prior art systems, methods, or devices providecomplete solutions for power management including grid elements andnetwork management including messaging over communication networks andenergy management over the electric power grid network, including thegrid elements that are attached to the electric grid, and furthermanagement of these for creating operating reserves for utilities andmarket participants. Therefore, a need exists for a system and methodfor active power load management that is optionally capable of trackingpower savings for the individual customer as well as the electricutility and any other market participant to thereby overcome theshortcomings of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems, methods, and apparatusembodiments for electric power grid and network registration andmanagement of grid elements. Accordingly, grid elements are transformedinto active grid elements following initial registration of each gridelement with the system, preferably through network-based communicationbetween the grid elements and a Coordinator. Also preferably, messagingis managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP messaging forcommunication with the grid elements, with the energy management system(EMS), and with the utilities, market participants, and/or gridoperators. Furthermore, the Coordinator according to the presentinvention is operable for receiving information communicated from gridelements, authenticating, and registering grid elements, therebytransforming them into active grid elements that are operable forpredetermined functionality within the electric power grid or fordownloading to the grid element its intended function after initialregistration. The Coordinator is further operable for communicating datawith a database, and to provide an overall assessment of electric gridoperations (normal or emergency) including but not limited to energyflows within the system, grid stabilization information, operatingreserves, capacity, settlement, and combinations thereof.

Following registration, the multiplicity of active grid elementsfunction in the grid for control, reporting, status, grid operations(normal or emergency), any source of macro supply capacity/energy,supply as distributed energy resources from a plurality of methods,supply/energy through storage devices, and/or load curtailment as supplyor capacity, wherein the registered, active grid elements and theircorresponding activities and information associated with thoseactivities deliver electric supply to the electric grid, curtail loadsources, control active or passive grid elements used in the operationof the grid, or any other device that is attached to the electric gridfor its normal or emergency functions and are tracked and managed inaccordance with regulations and standards governing the electric powergrid.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide systemfor electric power grid network management including: at least one gridelement constructed and configured for electrical connection andnetwork-based communication with a server and/or a processor operativelycoupled with memory; wherein the grid element is transformed into atleast one active grid element after initial connection with the serverand/or the processor operatively coupled with the memory via a network,preferably a communications network, wherein the registration ispreferably automatic and/or autonomous.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus forsmart electric power grid communication including: a grid elementconstructed and configured for electrical connection and network-basedcommunication with a server associated with an electric power grid;wherein the grid element is transformed into an active grid elementafter initial connection with the electric power grid, and preferablywherein each active grid element has a unique identifier. By way ofexample and not limitation, at least one of the grid elements is acontrol device that operates, programs and updates select load consumingdevice(s) associated with the electric power grid (including but notlimited to control systems, thermostats, controllers, anything thatcontrols the device, switch gear, large control systems operating from acontrol center or box with interface to a large control system;transformation process includes whatever control systems are attached tothe electric devices, their databases, tables, memory, Asics, firmware.Software, operating systems or combinations thereof and/or gridelements).

Also, in one aspect of the present invention a method for electric powergrid network management is provided, including the steps of: providingat least one grid element constructed and configured for electricalconnection and network-based communication with a server; the at leastone grid element communicating a message to the server, wherein themessage is preferably standards-based or proprietary; the at least onegrid element automatically into at least one active grid element forfunctioning actively within the electric power grid, wherein the atleast one grid element making an initial connection with the server viaa network. Also, methods may further include the step of: connecting theat least one grid element to an electric power grid. Also preferably,the at least one grid element is operable for sending and/or receiving amessage via communication with the server via a network, and the messageis routed by a coordinator to the server. Messages are sent via thenetwork and include Internet Protocol (IP)-based messaging.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after a reading of the following description ofthe preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings, as theysupport the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a coordinator and gridelements within a system and methods of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating grid elements, attachmentpoints, and telemetry through a network associated with the systems ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary network nodeconfiguration for grid elements registration and communication.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution automationcommunications network.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing energy systems operations andcommunications network-based connections.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a basic AGC/energy managementsystem (EMS) representation.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an energy management system(EMS) as part of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of an IP-based active powermanagement system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary active loadclient (ALC) smart meter use case example according to the presentinvention, wherein the ALC is shown as a component of the system of FIG.8 .

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of methods according to the presentinvention for tracking state of ALCs having an IP address within anelectric power grid system.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary systemarrangement for conservation voltage reduction.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram an IP-based active energy managementsystem in accordance with the present invention, including components ofALC, ALD, IP-based communication, load control devices and powerconsuming devices.

PRIOR ART FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating generation,transmission, distribution, and load consumption within a traditionalelectric power grid.

PRIOR ART FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating traditionaltransmission systems that connect to electric power sources todistribution facilities, including smart metering and advanced metering.

PRIOR ART FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating power generationor supply balancing with customer demand for electric power within agrid.

PRIOR ART FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating balancing areasand their interaction for power generation or supply balancing withcustomer demand for electric power within a grid.

PRIOR ART FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating regions andbalancing areas and their interaction for power generation or supplybalancing with customer demand for electric power within a grid. .

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating components including ALD,ALC, and IP communications for distributed grid intelligence withinsystems of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram that illustrates smart grid withdecentralized networks according to systems and methods of the presentinvention.

FIG. 20 is another schematic diagram that illustrates smart grid withdecentralized networks according to systems and methods of the presentinvention.

FIG. 21 is yet another schematic diagram that illustrates smart gridwith decentralized networks according to systems and methods of thepresent invention.

FIG. 22 shows a schematic diagram for supply from utility, marketparticipant, CSP, and/or REP, ALD/cloud layer, ICCP, control anddispatch, and micro-grid enablement according to systems and methods ofthe present invention.

FIG. 23 is a graphic illustration of operating reserves categories andbase load.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram representing operating reserves forsupply side generation of electric power for a grid, active loaddirector (ALD), active load client (ALC), power consuming devices, andother components of the systems and methods of the present invention forgenerating operating reserves of different categories.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the presentinvention including power consuming devices, control devices, ALC, ALD,customer profile, IP communication network, and grid telemetrycomponents of systems and methods of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the presentinvention including energy management system (EMS), power consumingdevices, control devices, ALC, ALD, customer profile, IP communicationnetwork, and grid telemetry components of systems and methods of thepresent invention.

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the presentinvention including EMS, power consuming devices, control devices, ALC,ALD, customer profile, IP communication network, and grid telemetrycomponents of systems and methods of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a table of consumer-adjustable parameters as examples forsystems and methods components according to the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a flow diagram illustrating method steps for energy consumingdevices and the generation of power supply value (PSV) according toembodiments of the present invention, including learning profile.

FIG. 30 is a flow diagram for methods of the present invention forcalculating the time period for environmentally dependent andindependent devices and determining or generating power supply value(PSV) for those power-consuming devices.

FIG. 31 is a graph showing at least three (3) dimensions for factorsassociated with load consumption and devices managing temperaturecontrol for corresponding power consuming devices, including the changein factors over time.

FIG. 32 is a graph showing first, second, and additional standarddeviations of for the chart of drift versus time, for use with thesystems and methods of the present invention.

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary IP-based activepower management system in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of anexemplary active load client in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 35 is a flow diagram illustrating steps in a method for updatinginformation relating to ALCs and/or ALD database.

FIG. 36 illustrates a flow diagram of methods according to the presentinvention for tracking power usage and power supply value (PSV)generation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention provides systems, methods, and apparatusembodiments for electric power grid and network registration andmanagement of grid elements. Accordingly, grid elements are transformedinto active grid elements following initial registration of each gridelement with the system, preferably through network-based communicationbetween the grid elements and a Coordinator. Also preferably, messagingis managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP-based messagingfor communication with the active grid elements, with the energymanagement system (EMS), and with the utilities, market participants,and/or grid operators subsystems necessary for electric grid operations.Following initial registration, the multiplicity of active grid elementsfunction in the grid for reporting, telemetry, command & control,status, normal or emergency electric grid operations in the generationsubsystems (of all generation capacities and types) that supplycapacity/energy to the electric grid, storage devices that supplycapacity and energy to the electric grid and/or load curtailment actingas supply or capacity (as in FERC 745), wherein the registered, activegrid elements and their corresponding activities and informationassociated with those activities are tracked and managed in accordancewith regulations and standards governing the electric power grid.

According to the present invention, at least one grid element of thegrid element(s) includes transmission or distribution control node(s),monitoring node(s), telemetry node(s), routing node(s), electricalrouting node(s), fault protection node(s), generation node(s), loadcontrol node(s), devices (active & passive), sensors, etc., wherein anode may further include an interface and/or an attachment to the grid.The grid operations include functionality that is provided by amultiplicity of different grid elements associated with supply,command/control, monitoring, and curtailment activities as separateactivities for active grid elements.

Overall, the systems and methods, and apparatus of the present inventionprovide grid element(s) and their registration for initializing theirfunctionality within the electric power grid, wherein the registrationtransforms the grid element(s) into active grid element(s) throughnetwork-based communication with a server and/or a processor operativelycoupled with a memory. The functionality of each grid element, followingregistration and transformation into active grid element(s), variesaccording to the grid element itself and its physical connection to theelectric power grid. In many instances, the active grid elementsfunction to provide power supply and/or curtailment as power supply,and/or capacity for same, that provides for grid stability, operatingreserves, and/or other reserves of an electric power grid. However, inevery case, any active grid element registered with the electric powergrid management system must be operable for network-based communicationwith the server and/or the processor operatively coupled with memory.More preferably, grid elements communicate through a Coordinator viamessaging communicated over a network, wherein the messaging is internetprotocol (IP)-based messaging, or proprietary communications networkprotocols and transported by a plurality of network methods as describedhereinbelow.

The present invention provides a system for electric power grid elementand network management including: at least one grid element constructedand configured for electrical connection and network-based communicationwith a server and/or a processor operatively coupled with a memory;wherein the grid element is transformed into at least one active gridelement after initial connection with the server and/or the processoroperatively coupled with the memory via a network. Preferably, thetransformation for grid elements is automatic and/or autonomous. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the server and/or processor coupledwith memory initiates the transformation of the at least one gridelement into the active grid element. In another case, the at least onegrid element transmits a signal or communicates a message to the serverat the point of initial connection with the server via the network,and/or the at least one grid element communicates a signal or a messageto initiate its transformation via registration with the electric powergrid; preferably, the signal or the message is routed through aCoordinator, which routes the message to a grid operator's appropriatesubsystem depending on the function of the grid element. For gridstability, supply, and curtailment technologies functioning as supply ascontemplated by FERC Order 745 the message must be routed to an EMS.Also, preferably, the message further includes at least one of: ageodetic reference, a grid element identifier, a grid element type, agrid element function, a grid element capacity and or energy capability,a grid element profile, a grid element attachment point reference, gridelement telemetry capabilities and requirements based upon its function,a grid element power supply value (PSV), a grid element power tradeblock (PTB) value, a grid element balancing authority association, agrid element owner identifier, a grid element compatibility identifier,and combinations thereof.

Also preferably, the network-based communication is a standards-basedcommunication or a proprietary communications protocol, and thecommunication is routable through a router and/or through a Coordinator,wherein the Coordinator receives and sends messages through acommunications router. The message includes a derived Power Supply Valuethat meets the minimum requirements for measurement, verification andreporting accuracy as determined by the Governing Entity that regulatesthe operation of the electric power grid that includes utilities, marketparticipants and/or grid operators such that the derived PSV may besettled in the appropriate power market by a settlement manager orappropriate market participant or entity determining economic benefitsassociated with the provision of supply and/or curtailment by the activegrid elements registered and functional within the electric power gridand responsive to the needs and requirements of the grid. Also, themessage has a deliver priority including at least one of a plurality ofmethods to include priority access flags, virtual private networks,independent identifying addresses (MAC, IP, Electronic Serial Numbers),manufacturers specific identifying codes, or combinations thereof,wherein the methods comply with standards as determined by the governingentity that regulates grid operations for utilities, market participantsor grid operators. Also, the active grid element(s) may further includeat least one mobile or network device having at least one access pointname (APN) for providing a priority of delivery for the message.

The present invention provides for a plurality of grid elements thattransform into a corresponding plurality of active grid elements afterinitial connection with the server via the network, and the at least onegrid element includes at least one electrical device, a device thatconsumes electric power from an electric power grid, and/or a devicethat provides power to an electric power grid, a control device, thatoperates, programs, and/or updates other of the active grid elements. Sothen grid elements are also selected from the group consisting of: asensor, a transmission reporting or control device, a distributionsystem reporting or control device, a power-consuming device, anappliance, any inductive device that consumes power, any resistivedevice that consumes power, a meter, a switch, a controller, a controldevice, a thermostat, a building control system, a security device, andcombinations thereof. Also, at least one of the grid elements is underthe control of an energy management system (EMS) associated with theelectric power grid.

Following the registration through the Coordinator, the transformationrelating to the active grid element enables the active grid element toprovide operating reserves and/or grid stabilization for the electricpower grid, and the transformation is registered in a database, and thedatabase is registered with an ISO, BA, Market Participant, NERC,utility service area, and/or FERC. For security and management by theCoordinator, preferably each of the at least one grid elements has aunique grid element identifier associated with it.

The present invention also provides a multiplicity of databasesconstructed and configured in network-based communication for receivingregistration data from a multiplicity of active grid elements, whereinat least one Coordinator for routing messages from the multiplicity ofactive grid elements through the network connecting the databases, andwherein servers operating the databases exchange information associatedwith the active grid elements for affecting electric grid operations,reporting, and/or stabilization, including service oriented architecture(SOA), published APIs, private APIs, and combinations thereof. Also,registration of grid elements and information or data relating to theirtransformation into active grid elements, including the attributes ofthe active grid elements, are stored in the databases for predeterminedperiods of time for use with economic and energy accounting settlementassociated with the active grid elements, and the registrationinformation associated with active grid elements is used to determineattachment points to the electric power grid for distribution andtransmission of power, and may be further combined with informationabout the generation, transmission, and distribution system of theelectric power grid, stored in the database, and processed withanalytics to simulate modeling for attachment of active grid elements tothe electric power grid. Furthermore, the registration informationassociated with active grid elements is used for communication with anEMS or other grid subsystems necessary for normal or emergency gridoperations. Additionally, a registration is made for each active gridelement, and the registration complies with regulations and/or standardsestablished by FERC, NERC, ISO, and/or a governing authority for theelectric power grid. In any case, the server communicates a message toeach of the at least one active grid elements after the initialconnection and registration through the coordinator via the network,wherein the message is an IP-based message, which is preferablytransmitted over a plurality of Ethernet capable communicationsnetworks, wired or wirelessly transmitted over a communications network.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the system furtherincludes an interface that facilitates communication of the message withthe grid elements, the interface including an IP-based interface, whichis selected from the group consisting essentially of WiMax, High SpeedPacket Access (HSPA), Evolution for Data Only (EVDO), Long TermEvolution (LTE), any first or second generation wireless transportmethod such as EDGE, or Code Division Multiple Access, Ethernet, anyproprietary Layer 1-4 protocol that contains or is capable oftransporting an Internet Protocol message, and combinations thereof. Thepresent invention may further include a security interface associatedwith each of the grid elements operable to receive security systemmessages from at least one remotely-located security system, wherein thesecurity interface is standards-based or determined by the governingentity that regulates grid operations for utilities, market participantsor grid operators.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for smartelectric power grid communication is provided, including: a grid elementconstructed and configured for electrical connection and network-basedcommunication with a server associated with an electric power grid;wherein the grid element is transformed into an active grid elementafter initial connection with the electric power grid, and wherein thegrid element includes a unique identifier. Preferably, thetransformation is automatic and/or autonomous, following initialactivation of the grid element, and then the grid element isauthenticated, registered, and then performs the function intended to dowithin the grid.

Preferably, the grid element transmits a signal or a message to theserver, more preferably through a Coordinator, for registering with theelectric power grid, and communicates wirelessly with the server,preferably via IP messaging with the server after attachment to theelectric power grid. Such apparatus embodiments for active grid elementsinclude or are selected from the group consisting of: a sensor, apower-consuming device, an appliance, a meter, distribution and/ortransmission elements, telemetry elements, power supplying device,storage device, controller, and combinations thereof.

In methods for electric power grid network management, the presentinvention includes the steps of: providing at least one grid elementconstructed and configured for electrical connection and network-basedcommunication with a server, energizing the at least one grid elementand/or connecting the at least one grid element to an electric powergrid; the at least one grid element making an initial connection withthe server via a network and communicating a message to the server; andthe at least one grid element automatically into at least one activegrid element for functioning actively within the electric power grid.Preferably, the method further includes the step of: the at least onegrid element sending and/or receiving a message via communication withthe server via the network, wherein the message is routed by acoordinator to the server. Also preferably, the communication iswireless transmission, and includes wireless IP-based messaging.

In operation of the system and methods of the present invention, thecommunication further includes power event messages that further includeat least one of: status of device(s), supply source(s), and/or demand;location of attachment; line losses; distribution and transmissioncapacity information; and combinations thereof, and the power eventmessages are based upon inputs initiated from a market participant, autility, or an electric grid operator. Also, the power event messagesinclude information about PSV or PTB associated with the at least onegrid element.

While present invention relates generally to the field of electricalpower control systems and more particularly to systems, methods, andapparatus embodiments for transforming grid elements into active gridelements following an initial registration with the electric power gridthrough a coordinator, following transformation of the grid elements toactive grid elements, the electric power grid is functional for activemanagement of power supply from any electric power generation source orstorage device for introduction to an electric power grid, and/or loadcurtailment for consideration as supply. Preferably, these systems andmethods and any apparatus embodiments of the present invention are incompliance with standards that are currently contemplated and arechanging in response to the recognized need in the United States andother countries where the electric utility grid is not fully developed,but the demand for energy is expected to grow substantially over thelife of the invention (e.g., NERC, FERC orders 745, 750, 755, etc.).Once transformed into active grid elements, the present inventionsystems, methods, and apparatus embodiments are operable to furtherprovide for actively managing power supply from any generation sourcesupply or storage and/or power supply from curtailment events applied toload consuming devices, thereby creating operating reserves forutilities and market participants, while optionally tracking powersavings for both the individual customer, broadly defined as anyconsumer of electrical power whether this is an individual residentialconsumer, a large commercial/industrial customer or any combinationthereof inclusive of retail electric providers and market participants,as well as the electric utility or electric power generation sourcesupply (GSS), whether generating or distributing power for the electricpower grid. Therefore, active grid elements include functionality forpower generation supply, power storage supply, and/or load curtailmentas supply, as well as load-consuming elements, telemetry elements,sensors, meters, controls, and combinations thereof. Where active gridelements change location or attachment to the electric power grid, thentheir active grid element attributes change accordingly to indicate thenew, updated location and/or attachment point information or data. Wherea portion of the electric power grid changes due to normal operation, ordue to any element being out of service for any reason, includingdysfunction of distribution and/or transmission of electric power alongthe lines to active grid elements and/or the communications networkchanges or has dysfunction, then preferably, the active grid elementsare acknowledged by the system through the coordinator upon theirreconnection with the grid and/or communications network. Furthermore,any active grid element is replaced with a new or substitute gridelement, or taken out of service for more than a predetermined period oftime, then the replacement or substitute grid element must be registeredto be transformed into an active grid element as with any new gridelement being introduced into service at any location or attachmentpoint associated with the electric power grid. Where reconfiguration,repair, or other updating occurs, corresponding information related tothe reconfiguration, repair, or other updating associated with eachactive grid element is communicated through the coordinator and updatedin the database.

The following descriptions and definitions are included herein for thepurpose of clarifying terms used in the claims and specification of thepresent invention, in addition to explanation of the relevant prior art,including the PRIOR ART figures and those figures illustrating thepresent invention.

Power Distribution Engineering: Fundamentals and Applications, James J.Burke, Marcel Dekker, Inc., NY (1994), describes basic power electricpower systems, including distribution and transmission throughout anelectric power grid, and grid elements and basic functionality of gridelements, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Also,acronyms and abbreviations and definitions for terms related to electricpower grids and systems and grid elements associated therewith, andregulations and authorities related thereto, are known in the art, andare also defined in the book Creating Competitive Power Markets: the PJMModel, Jeremiah D. Lambert, Pennwell (2001), and are incorporated hereinby reference.

When curtailment or supply is provided in a distributed manner from aplurality of sources through some of the grid elements of the presentinvention, capacity is also created on the transmission and distributionsystem that is used to carry the physical energy to the load consumingdevices, and/or the attachment point of the supply devices, and thoseconsumers at their attachment point to the grid. This is sometimesreferred to in both the industry and the description of the presentinvention as a “service point” and can represent any attachment pointalong an electric grid whereby the physical layer of wires meets thephysical attachment of either load or supply that is used in accordancewith the present invention. The creation of capacity for these “wired”networks is in itself new to the art, and is tracked with the othermessaging described in the present invention via the Coordinator andwith specific messaging that is used and identified for the purpose oftransmission and distribution capacity created along every grid elementthat is used to distribute electric power in the electric power grid.These created capacities are preferably aggregated by service point, byattachment wires, by transformer, by feeder wire, bysubstation/electrical bus, by transmission line(s), by grid area, bygeodetic points, by utility or MP service area, by LMP, by balancingauthority, by state, by interconnect, by ISO, and combinations thereof.Thus, created capacity by active grid elements according to the presentinvention, includes both the actual capacity due to supply introductionor load curtailment, and/or the location of the capacity created, whichis a function of the attachment point and with respect to the electricalbus (substation) and/or transmission feeder that is supplying it.

The present invention provides systems, apparatus, and methods formanaging a multiplicity of grid elements that function within anelectric power grid. Following registration and transformation intoactive grid elements, the system provides for transmission anddistribution of electric power supplied by an electric utility and/orother market participants to a multiplicity of the active grid elements(including but not limited to devices and nodes), some of which consumepower, some supply power, some store power, and combinations. Activegrid elements may function within the grid to provide for supply and/orload curtailment as supply. Each of the active grid elements have aPower Supply Value (PSV) associated with its energy consumption and/orreduction in consumption and/or supply (through generation and/orstorage). And each grid element further operates to communicate (sendand/or receive) messaging that is preferably managed through a networkby a Coordinator using IP-messaging for communication with the activegrid elements, with the energy management system (EMS), and with theutilities, market participants, and/or grid operators. However, in somecases, messaging is provided between grid elements without passingthrough a Coordinator.

Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments that are in accordancewith the present invention, note that the embodiments reside primarilyin combinations of system and apparatus components, and processingsteps, communications, protocols, messaging and transport all related toactively managing power load or supply on an individual subscriber basisand optionally tracking power savings incurred by both individualsubscribers and an electric utility or other market participant, all ofwhich directly involve active grid elements of the present invention.Accordingly, the systems, apparatus, and method steps components havebeen represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in thedrawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent tounderstanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not toobscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the descriptionherein.

As used in accordance with the description of the present invention NERCis described and defined as follows:http://www.nerc.com/files/Glossary_12Feb08.pdf Balancing Authority (BA),as used in accordance with the description of the present invention isdefined as the responsible entity that integrates resource plans aheadof time, maintains load-interchange-generation balance within aBalancing Authority Area, and supports Interconnection frequency in realtime. Balancing Authority Area (BAA), as used in accordance with thedescription of the present invention is defined as the collection ofgeneration, transmission, and loads within the metered boundaries of theBalancing Authority. The Balancing Authority (BA) maintainsload-resource balance within this area (BAA).

Also, if demand changes so abruptly and quantifiably as to cause asubstantial fluctuation in line frequency within the utility's electricgrid, the utility must respond to and correct for the change in linefrequency. To do so, utilities typically employ an Automatic GenerationControl (AGC) process or subsystem to control the utility's regulatingreserve. This subsystem when coupled with transmission, generation anddistribution telemetry, processors, and industry standard software inits aggregate is referred to as an Energy Management System (EMS) asexemplified and manufactured for the energy sector by many OEMs such as,by way of example, GE, OSlsoft, and Areva. To determine whether asubstantial change in demand has occurred, each utility monitors itsArea Control Error (ACE). A utility's ACE is equal to the difference inthe scheduled and actual power flows in the utility grid's tie linesplus the difference in the actual and scheduled frequency of thesupplied power multiplied by a constant determined from the utility'sfrequency bias setting.

The aggregation of the longstanding, unmet needs in the relevant art isthe basis for new innovation, including solutions offered by the presentinvention, having systems and apparatus components that include thefollowing attributes:

-   -   a. The system, apparatus, methods and devices utilize        standards-based OSI Layer 1-4 communications protocols with a        plurality of security encryption methods.    -   b. The communication layer is Internet Protocol (V4 or V6 or its        derivatives thereof) based such that the messages, instructions,        commands, measurements and telemetry is transmitted via physical        layer delivered Ethernet, first generation wireless        communications methods (analog or digital), second generation        communications methods such as Code Division Multiple Access        (1XRTT), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), third        generation protocols such as Evolution for Data Only (EVDO),        High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Fourth Generation protocols        Long Term Evolution (LTE), IEEE 802.11 (X) “WiFi”, or any        derivative standard approved by the IEEE, International        Telecommunications Union or any domestic or international        standards body or any proprietary protocols that can operate in        near real time and contain an Internet Protocol packet for the        transmittal of their command, control, telemetry, measurement,        verification, and/or settlement information, whether wired or        wireless.    -   c. The command and control for the purpose of (b) can be created        and controlled from a centralized processor, a distributed        processing apparatus, or at the device level.    -   d. The aggregation of these methods result in the creation of        real time load curtailment that may be classified broadly as        “Demand Response”, macro or distributed generation and can be        native load (i.e., real-time supply) as required by the electric        power grid where the invention is utilized, and also be utilized        to create Operating Reserves as defined by NERC, FERC, and/or        any other governing body that regulates the operation of an        electric power grid and/or utilities or other market participant        providing power to an electric power grid.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating at least one coordinator anda multiplicity of grid elements within a system and methods of thepresent invention. Grid elements illustrated for example, and notlimitation of the present invention, include smart appliances, smartmeters, building control systems, sensors, storage devices, powergenerators (including alternative energy sources like wind, solar,water, etc.), active load clients (ALCs), active load directors (ALDs),active supply clients (ASCs), active supply directors (ASDs),controllers, coordinators, distribution elements, transmission elementsnecessary for grid operations and stability, and combinations thereof.Following registration with the system, and transformation to activegrid elements for managed participation within the electrical power gridand corresponding systems and methods of the present invention, theactive grid elements communicate with and through at least onecoordinator and to the energy management system (EMS) or other gridoperations subsystems, such as RTO/ISO operations systems, transmissionoperation systems, distribution operation systems, and functionaccording to their intended purpose. By way of example and notlimitation, a smart meter provides meter functions to track andcommunicate load consumed by one or more active grid elements and/ordevices; a thermostat or building control system provides for HVACand/or environmental conditions indication and control, includingtemperature management, humidity, lighting, security, etc.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating grid elements, attachmentpoints, and telemetry through a network associated with the systems ofthe present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates at least one controlling orparticipating entity, selected from the group consisting of a gridoperator, utility, market participant, retail electric provider and/ordistributor, and combinations thereof, an EMS, in electrical powerconnection and communication with a multiplicity of active gridelements, all within at least one balancing authority (BA), and allconnected through an electrical power grid and communicationsnetwork(s). The active grid elements provide telemetry and messagingrelating to a multiplicity of grid element attributes and/or gridelement factors, including but not limited to attachment pointinformation, geodetic information, status, capacity, grid elementidentifier(s), grid element profile(s), power consumption and flows(instantaneous and historical), and combinations thereof. Preferablycommunication among active grid elements and the controlling orparticipating authority is provided over a network and routed through atleast one coordinator via Ethernet and/or IP connectivity. A counter mayalso be included for tracking packets, and packet switching and routingis provided within the systems and methods of the present invention,wherein network communication for energy routing and energy informationrouting is provided with a messaging structure having layering, similarto an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model including layers forapplication, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, andphysical communication functions, which defines the communications tasksof the system, and which provides a vertical set of layers forming acommunication infrastructure for interconnection over public and privatenetworks. Information describing general OSI model communicationstructures and functionality is known to one of ordinary skill in theart and described in Data and Computer Communications by WilliamStallings, MacMillan NY (1985), which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

The structure of OSI modeling for the systems and methods of the presentinvention are considered to provide communications networks for use incoordination with the physical structure and network of the electricpower grid and the active grid elements registered therewith, and mayfurther include TCP/IP. Ideally, the OSI model for communication networkwould be integrated with the physical network for electric powerdistribution and transmission, including active grid elements andcontrols, database, server, coordination with supply and load, etc. Thepresent invention provides for the application of an energy network(i.e., the electric power grid) and a communications network, includingthe OSI-based model, and coordination to integrate the messaging withthe power movement through the system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary network nodeconfiguration for grid elements registration and communication. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the network for communicationinvolving active grid elements and the coordinator and/or other gridelements includes a packet-switched network that is used to acceptpackets from a source node and deliver them to a destination node, suchas in the case wherein a grid element makes initial registration withthe system by sending an initial communication to a coordinator, and thecoordinator responds and the systems and methods of the presentinvention then provide for automatic and/or autonomous transformationinto active grid elements, wherein at the moment of registration theactive grid elements are functional within the electric power grid toperform their designated or predetermined operations and roles orfunctions. FIG. 3 illustrates an example network configurationillustrating a multiplicity of paths or routes through a network forcommunication and energy routing within the electric power grid. Theconnections between active grid elements and coordinator(s) and otheractive grid elements are illustrated. In preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, at least one balancing authority (BA) includes atleast one coordinator in network-based communication with a multiplicityof active grid elements, and further connected in electrical and datacommunication connections with at least one source of power and at leastone EMS. By way of example, a new grid element prior to registrationwith the system of the present invention initiates a signal or messagevia the network following its initial energizing with power from anysource (battery or externally-supplied power), wherein initial messageincludes at least one of the following: unique grid element identifier,equipment identifier, class of service information, capability,capacity, function information, geodetic information (GPS, physicaladdress, etc.), attachment point, IP address information, communicationformat and content information, security, authentication information,and combinations thereof. Thus, after initial energizing of the at leastone grid element, the grid element searches for at least one networkavailable for communication with the electric power grid, preferablywith the coordinator, and determines how to engage with the coordinatoror at least to establish initial network communication with thecoordinator, identification of network protocol, etc. A networkidentifier is included in the transformation and network interface foreach of the at least one grid elements. Preferably, messaging betweenthe at least one grid element and the at least one coordinator isprovided by IP-based messaging over the network. Following the initialresponse and registration of the at least one grid element, there is atransformation into at least one active grid element, which providesthat each of the at least one active grid elements is operable tofunction automatically and/or autonomously for its predeterminedfunction within the electric power grid, including telemetry atpredetermined intervals, continuously, or when change in state occursfor each of the at least one active grid elements.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the registration ofgrid elements may be provided using one or more of the following forproviding unique identification for each grid element: messaging and/orsignaling between active, inactive, IP address, V4, V6, proprietary,mesh or direct, TDM or pots, analog or digital telemetry, RFIDs, andcombinations thereof. A registration for grid elements may furtherinclude registration into a home network or a visitor network, and/ormovement of any of the active grid elements (following transformationafter initial registration) to different locations or geographies and/orto different or new attachment points provides for at least one updateof status for the movement or change for that active grid element.Attachment points are preferably provided in a location register that isdefined by proximity to an electric bus or substation within theelectric power grid, or any other predetermined geodetic location withinthe physical structure of the electric power grid.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution automationcommunications network as part of systems and methods of the presentinvention, including a main communications ring having a multiplicity ofactive grid elements associated therewith, and further including atleast one master control center and corresponding database, SCADAmaster, AMR master, switches and electrical network lines andconnections (copper wire) and communications network lines andconnections (fiber) and at least one distributed ring having amultiplicity of active grid elements associated therewith. In thisexemplary network sector, the active grid elements and electrical powernetwork and communications network are included within one balancingauthority (BA). Several active grid elements function as meters and/orsmart meters and provide for automated meter telemetry through thenetwork from the grid elements to at least one coordinator. In a typicalnetwork architecture, at least one core network for a balancingauthority is provided, and wherein a multiplicity of grid elements areconstructed and configured in electric power transmission and/ordistribution connection and network-based communication connection forsending and receiving messages between each of the grid elements and atleast one Coordinator.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing energy systems operations andcommunications network-based connections as part of systems and methodsof the present invention, including compatibility and/or compliance withNIST standards applicable to transmission and/or distribution lines forthe electric power grid in communications network connectivity with amultiplicity of grid elements, market participant(s), utility orelectric power generator supplier and/or third party energy provider(for GSS, as described hereinbelow), an energy market clearinghouse(ECM), an aggregator for providing at least one power trading block(PTB) for settlement for energy supply and/or curtailment as supplyproviding by at least one of a multiplicity of grid elements, includingpower consuming devices, ALCs, ALDs, ASCs, ASDs, and at least onecoordinator.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a basic AGC/energy managementsystem (EMS) representation.

By way of introduction to the present invention, FIGS. 1 and 8illustrate a schematic diagram of an IP-based active power management(load and supply) system having active grid elements in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present invention. This diagram showsanalogies for how active grid elements having predeterminedfunctionality as load-consuming devices are addressable with IP-basedmessaging within the communications network by an active load director(ALD) and/or Coordinator, by comparison to basic communication networkssuch as the Internet. Similarly, Active Supply Director (ASD) and ActiveSupply Client or Element (ASC) provide for the corresponding managementof electric power available or actually supplied to the electric powergrid, whether by Generation Source Supply (GSS) elements or by StorageSource Supply (SSS), including battery or fuel cell, or compressed air,stored water, or any subsystem that includes a potential for dischargingelectricity as stored energy to the electric power grid, available fordischarge or actually discharged into the grid. In any case, whetherelectric power supply for the grid is provided by generation or loadcurtailment, the supply is evaluated and rated by Power Supply Value(PSV) and Power Trade Block (PTB), which indicates the amount of power,including aggregated amounts acceptable for settlement by the grid,which are communicated by the active grid elements through theCoordinator and then to an energy management clearinghouse forsettlement based upon PSV, PTB, and market factors associated with andcommunicated by the active grid elements and timing, duration, quality,type of event (for supply and/or demand response) within the electricpower system energy management to the coordinator. Preferably, allinformation required for settlement is communicated within the systemsand methods and by apparatus embodiments of the present invention,automatically and/or autonomously and preferably with IP-based messagingvia the network; this information is routed by at least one coordinatorand stored in memory in a database that is accessible by the energymanagement clearinghouse.

Each active grid element associated with supplying power and/orproviding load curtailment within the electric power grid, includes withits attributes at least one Power Supply Value (PSV) associated with itsactivity and function within the grid. Power Supply Value (PSV) isestimated, modeled, measured, and/or determined or calculated at themeter or submeter, building control system, supply source, or at anydevice or controller that measures electric power within the standard assupplied by the regulatory body(ies) that govern the regulation of thegrid. PSV depends on operating tolerances, operating standard foraccuracy of the measurement. Notably, the PSV provides a uniform,systematic unit for addressing the power curtailment or power supplythat is responsive to an energy management system (EMS) or equivalentfor providing grid stability, reliability, frequency as determined bygoverning authority, grid operator, market participant, utility, and/orregulations applicable to the electric power grid operations. The PSVenables transformation of curtailment or reduction in power, in additionto the introduction of power supply to the grid, at the device level byany system, apparatus, and/or device that sends or receives an IPmessage to be related to or equated to supply as presented to thegoverning entity that accepts these values and award supply equivalence.PSV may be provided in units of electrical power units, flow, monetaryequivalent, and combinations thereof. The PSV and/or PTB addresses thelongstanding unmet need within the electric power management systems fora consistent or standard unit(s) that provide for blocks or bundles ofenergy are introduced, aggregated, and settled; the prior art nowhereteaches or discloses these functional units. Thus, the present inventionincludes a PSV that provides a unit for measuring and settling for eachactive grid element the power available for/introduced to the electricpower grid and/or the curtailment power available (consistent with FERCorders 745, 750, 755 all published in 2011, which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety) as a requirement for providingsupply to the power grid, and, particularly wherein the supply to thepower grid is provided for grid stability, voltage stability,reliability, and combinations thereof. Notably, “high performancereserves” from FERC order 755 covers for “deadband”, i.e., the timebetween receipt of reg-up/reg-down, recognition of that order, andresponse to impact on the grid, which is about 5 minutes for highperformance reserves, which are faster for supply than the traditionalutilities.

PSV is preferably settled as traditional power delivery or curtailmentsystems at the nearest interconnection point, Location Marginal Price(LMP), node, transmission interconnection, balancing authority, utilityservice area, retail electric provider service area, ISO, state, andcombinations thereof, i.e., settlement is available at the point ofdelivery and/or acceptance (or attachment point), and is facilitated byALC, ASC, Coordinator, metering device, smart meter, sub-meter, andcombinations thereof, or any revenue grade device accepted by thegoverning authority to determine PSV and/or settlement for each activegrid element. Also preferably, PSV includes consideration for linelosses proximal to those devices and/or grid elements, if not throughreal-time metrics then through modeling and/or estimation. Furthermore,regarding PSV and other metrics, where no real-time metrics forverification and settlement exist, modeling is used. Preferably,analytics is used in connection with the present invention for modeling,estimation, optimization, and combinations, such as those analyticstaught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,180,622, 8,170,856, 8,165,723, 8,155,943,8,155,908, 8,131,401, 8,126,685, 8,036,872, 7,826,990, 7,844,439,7,840,395, 7,729,808, 7,840,396, 7,844,440, 7,693,608, and US PatentApplication Publication Nos. 20070239373, 20080262820, 20080263469,20090076749, 20090083019, 20090105998, 20090113049, 20100023309,20100049494, 20100168931, 20100268396, 20110082596, 20110082597, all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The present invention methods, systems, devices, and apparatus providetransformation of grid elements to active grid elements following theirautomatic registration with IP-based messaging communicated via thenetwork and preferably through a coordinator. Following registration,the active grid elements operate according to their respective intendedfunctions, and also preferably continue to have automatic communicationsand messaging via the network through at least one coordinator. Becauseof the automatic and preferably autonomous registration and ongoingmessaging, active grid elements operate collectively for managing flowof power for an electric grid, micro grid, or other system, orcombinations thereof, more particularly the supply of electric power forthe grid, whether by generation, storage for discharge, electricvehicles (EV), which function as transportable storage and loadconsuming devices, either standalone or in aggregate, (and must betracked to ensure proper settlement and grid stability management),and/or load curtailment, and function to ensure grid stability and tosupply electric power from any source of power generation, storage,and/or curtailment that equates to supply.

According to the present invention, grid stabilizing metrics includingvoltage, current, frequency, power factor, reactive and inductive power,capacitance, phase control, and/or any other grid metric that isrequired by a grid operator, market participant, utility, and the like,to operate and maintain electric power grid stability as determined bythe grid operator or the governing entity therefor. Preferably, thesemetrics are monitored and/or measured at a multiplicity of points, andmore preferably using active grid elements and their attributes andstatus information throughout the electric power grid, including but notlimited to locations within or at the distribution system, transmissionsystem, electrical bus (substation), generation source, supply controldevices, load control devices, load consuming devices (particularlythose involved in curtailment activities), at least one Coordinator, andcombinations thereof. The metrics apply to any size and type of activegrid element, regardless whether the generation source is macro innature, e.g., large scale generation such as large coal, nuclear, gas orother traditional or non-traditional sources of generation, micro-gridgeneration, emergency back-up power generation, alternative energygeneration, e.g., wind, solar, etc., or a power storage device or fuelcell that is potentially available for discharge.

Also, at least one of the active grid elements may include clientdevices or the associated power consuming or generation control deviceshave the ability to independently execute commands from an Active LoadDirector (ALD), Active Load Client (ALC), a 3^(rd) party EnergyManagement System (EMS), Active Supply Director (ASD), Coordinator,Generation Source Supply (GSS), Storage Source Supply (SSS),transmission/distribution capacity, messaging, settlements, security,and combinations thereof, that provide for both load consuming andgeneration to engage with the electric power grid at attachment pointswith assured grid stability as indicated by the grid stability metricsfor compliance with requirements of the grid operator, utility, marketparticipant, grid governing authority, and/or any other regulationsapplicable to the electric power grid. All of these active grid elementspreferably receive their commands and send communications and/ormessaging via an IP message via a Coordinator or Layer 3 router capableof handling all current and future iterations of IP messagingcontemplated during the life of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematicdiagram showing a basic AGC/energy management system (EMS)representation as part of the system of the present invention. As shownin FIG. 6 , a detailed EMS with automatic generation control anddistributed energy resource (DER) (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 ), and loadresources (L and CLR in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 ) is provided according to thepresent invention.

Also preferably, all messaging to and from active grid elements iscontrolled, managed, and transmitted through the Coordinator, whichcommunicates between the many active grid elements, including andfollowing their initial registration, and the EMS and/or grid operator,utility, governing authority, and combinations thereof. More preferably,all commands and communications are routed through and by theCoordinator, which is constructed and configured for direct and/orwireless communication with the multiplicity of grid elements, andfurther includes components of processor, memory, persistence layer,memory cache, messaging engine, security interface, status and/orchange-in-status indicator, geodetic locator, telemetry, connectionswith the network, software operable for managing and changing theconnections, database with software operable for storing and analyzingdata associated with transmission and distribution attachments, servicepoints, active grid elements, registration, authentication, PSV, PTB,identification, capacity and capability of load and supply, softwareversion control for active grid elements, software improvement control,software for settlement, and combinations thereof. Other switchelements, which may be included as active grid elements, that may beapplicable to the Coordinator, and are included with the presentinvention include customer identification and authentication, customersecurity, attachment information and capacities, reservations forutilizing the transmission and distribution system, signaling to theelectric grid or its operator the plurality of all the above. TheCoordinator functions as an “energy router” whereby the messagingrequired to route supply, demand and transmission/distribution capacityto and from the grid is differentiated from pure communications routingand relates to grid stability and improved grid performance. Thus, theCoordinator is not merely functional as a traditional telecommunicationsrouter, but further includes the aforementioned messaging, management,and control functionality required for supply or curtailment to theelectric power grid. The Coordinator is consistent with compliance ascontemplated in the aforementioned FERC orders where frequencydeviations, security, and grid performance are all now needed in an eraof aging grid infrastructure and a changing and dynamic load environmentwhere the legacy macro grid and the interim “Smart Grid” elements arenot capable of responding to the new needs that FERC and NERC haveidentified and charged the market participants to solve, which have notyet been solved by any prior art, but which are addressed by the presentinvention. The energy routing function of the coordinator serves as atraffic manager, and a messaging engine, to track all the active gridelements, secure reservations and settlement information on the electricpower grid and the interface for one-to-many (i.e., one port for EMS tothe many active grid elements under the control of an EMS and supplyinggrid stability from the many to the one) allowing for microelements anddistributed generation and distributed load curtailment to perform withthe macro grid without taxing and destroying the legacy infrastructurebeyond its capabilities and limitations; the Coordinator is furtheroperable for tracking and maintaining status of all devices within itsdefined boundaries, or as described hereinabove with respect to PSV, ordetermined by the governing authority for the grid, which includes abalancing area, an ISO, a utility, a market participant, andcombinations thereof. FIG. 1 (in addition to other figures) provides aschematic diagram illustrating the Coordinator as part of the system andmethods of the present invention. Additionally, since the Coordinatoroperates as “energy router” it is operable to register all new gridelements, it functions to “reserve” a message to introduce it to thenetwork; once registered through the Coordinator and introduced into theelectric power grid and communications network, including storage of itsactive grid element attributes in a database, each active grid elementis also updated via messaging by, to and through the Coordinator.

Preferably, the Coordinator manages all registered active grid elementsaccording to their characteristics, profiles associated therewith,location, and capability for responsiveness to the various electricpower grid resource requirements. The Coordinator further operates tomatch and prioritize these registered active grid elements and providesmessaging of their information and/or matching and prioritization tocommunication elements, including wireless and/or wireline carriers, sothat the messaging is then prioritized through any or all of thenetworks for communication of any messages to the utility, marketparticipant, grid operator, EMS, and combinations thereof, based uponthe grid resource requirements at any given time. Thus, the Coordinatorprovides priority “flags” on messaging that may be communicated overexisting telecommunications infrastructure to provide grid stability andresources messaging with priority messaging over other informationtransmitted through those communications networks regardless if theyhave been configured to offer priority or “class” of service or not,VPNs or not. In particular, since electric power generation,distribution and transmission is part of critical infrastructure andprovides an asset for national security in many countries, including theUnited States of America, the present invention provides for enhancedcritical infrastructure security with the priority messaging associatedwith the Coordinator and allows the Coordinator to take advantage of newchip and ASIC technologies that will accommodate multiple routes, VPNs,APNs, and IP addresses per active grid element, ALC, ASD, GSS, SSS,Smart Meter, Service Point, transmission, distribution element orcombinations thereof.

The Coordinator is operable for and includes Layer 1-4 forcommunication, but additionally, and significantly, the Coordinatorfurther tracks and communicates and controls where elements are attachedto the grid, makes or communicates decisions about how the resources areused either with or without communication to any active grid element,including but not limited to ALD or ASD, or EMS, communicates the statusof any and all active grid elements to legacy distribution automationand transmission reporting subsystems and provides for new methods fordirect contribution by active grid elements to the grid stabilitythrough load curtailment and/or supply from any source, and forsettlement of same, and the security, authentication, initialregistration of the devices with the grid, ALD, ASD, market participant,grid operators, their legacy subsystems and/or EMS for the electricpower grid; and change of status for those active grid elements; andcombinations of these, while simultaneously facilitating and routingthose messages to the appropriate subsystem to achieve the supply,curtailment, and/or grid stability requested by the legacy subsystems,or through the present invention, all with IP-based messaging. Mostpreferably, using digitally encrypted secure IP messaging deliveredthrough a network via Ethernet, wireless messaging, or proprietarymethods, including carrier-grade wireless and/or wired networks forcommunication.

The Coordinator operates further for communication of all telemetry,settlement, tracking, and combinations thereof for each active gridelement. All active grid elements associated with the grid for supplyand/or load curtailment are registered with the Coordinator and arerouted within one or more ports within the EMS, for example asillustrated in the Figures; thus, the Coordinator and its application orfunctionality within the electric power grid, sending the signals,telemetry and messaging for primary frequency control, grid stability,control events, dispatch schedules for supply sources (bothpre-scheduled and dynamic/real time in response to electric power gridconditions), and combinations thereof through messaging and coordinationwith the active grid elements. The Coordinator also preferably includesfunctionality for clearing and reporting to and with transmissionreservations subsystems associated with the active grid elements. By wayof example, prior art transmission reservations subsystems can berepresented by companies such as OATI's OASIS transmission reservationsystem (illustrated at the Internet website www.oatioasis.com), which isoverseen and regulated by FERC, but whose clearing and reporting isdeficient in enabling reservations below macro transmission levels, andwhose reservation systems include “firm” capacity and “non-firm”capacity that has very little value since its reliability is notassured. The present invention solves many of these problems and creates“actual measurable and verifiable transport capacity” by enhancing powerdistribution, settlement, and combinations thereof, by grid element, byservice point, by device and by consumer. Additionally, telemetry forsettlement for curtailment, supply from storage, and combinationsthereof, area managed through the Coordinator. The Coordinator isfurther constructed, configured, and operable in IP-based or proprietarymessaging communication, for providing a routing and controlarchitecture and methods analogous to the OSI model used intelecommunications networks worldwide, applied for all active gridelements management and for supply, whether GSS or SSS, and loadcurtailment management for any of the multiplicity of active gridelements, and grid stability. The messages contemplated by this type ofenergy routing and capacity creation in itself creates the potential fora new standard for achieving FERC and NERC goals while seamlesslyintegrating into legacy subsystems of current art of macro electricutility architecture.

The method, system and apparatus embodiments of the present inventionfurther provide that the active grid elements are operable to sendchange in state messages in lieu of a constant stream of IP messages viaa telemetry path. The change-in-state messages provide the ability toonly communicate the “deltas” (or change in state) and have the ALD,ASD, and/or server transmit, send, or stream the telemetry from the last“known value” until that last known value has changed, by communicatinga “delta” message, rather than constantly streaming values, and may use“machine to machine” communications, text telemetry, or any low bit ratetelemetry method that meets the requirements as established by thegoverning entity, but is capable of complying while simultaneouslyutilizing the transmission bandwidth and latency that is available at aservice point or active grid element location. These change-in-statemessages associated with the active grid elements preferably include thenecessary information to report the Power Supply Value (PSV), PTB,and/or any other grid stability messages on an event basis rather thanmerely a telemetry basis and to send those messages through a server,and are transmitted to an energy management system (EMS) via a format asdetermined by the grid operator, microgrid operator, and/or other gridcontrol entity while simultaneously achieving primary frequency controland grid stability at the service point and/or active grid elements andstoring at the ALC, ASD, ALD, ASD or combinations thereof the necessaryinformation in granular format sufficient to transmit for settlement ormeasurement & verification processes later either when bettertransmission speeds are available or retrievable by a manualintervention such as a smart phone, tablet or drive by apparatus wherethe memory may be downloaded to a mobile client.

The systems, methods, and apparatus embodiments of the present inventionfurther provide for commands issued either directly by the EMS,Coordinator, ASD, ASC, ALD, ALC, load consuming device, “Smart ElectricMeter” and its subcomponents (processor/memory), or by programming anyactive grid element, for example, a client device such as a programmablethermostat or building control system, wherein the commands anticipatethe activation of a load curtailment event for any load consuming device(such as an HVAC system, a system profile that has been programmed forsupply side indices such as market price of power or Operating Reservesor load side indices that take a consumer's preferences into account, orany other sensor) or the activation of a supply or demand event for anysupply source associated with the electric power grid.

Just prior to the activation of the load consuming device a precisemeasurement of total load as measured by the meter or submeter, ALC, orload consuming device is made as to ascertain its contribution to thetotal amount of electricity prior to the activation of the loadconsuming device. Similarly, for ASD, ASC, or any supply source, GSS orSSS, electric supply availability and electric supply existing at theattachment point(s) is determined. Measurements by the sameaforementioned measuring elements are made after the registration of thegrid elements and their transformation into active grid elements,whether a load consuming or supply device or other function. Eitherthrough a baseline measurement or with precise timing of measuring the“before” and “after” load or supply contribution by the active gridelement is recorded in the ALC or ASC, device, or passed or routed tothe Coordinator or the EMS via an IP message utilizing one of theaforementioned communications methods to the ALD, ASD, and/orCoordinator, or is stored in the ALD, ASD, and/or Coordinator until a“change-in-state” message for the grid element(s) is communicateddirectly to the ALD, ASD, and/or Coordinator, so that it might be usedin the calculation of load removed, “cut”, reduced, or “added” , orsupply available or supply provided, in response to an ALD, ASD, and/orCoordinator, a pre-programmed load curtailment or supply profile, or inresponse to commands from an Energy Management System (EMS), orcorrespondingly, the ALC, ASC, Coordinator, a pre-programmed supplyprofile, or combinations thereof, or in response to commands from an EMS(preferably via the Coordinator) for active supply management from anysupply source, whether generation, storage, or combinations thereof.

The following examples illustrating embodiments for the systems,methods, and apparatus of the present invention for registration andmanagement of active grid elements follow the FERC regulations 745, 750,and 755 introduced in 2011 for Load Curtailment, Supply from Storage,and Supply from Generation.

Relating to the load curtailment for providing a supply equivalent, FIG.8 provides a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary grid element asactive load client (ALC) smart meter use case example according to thepresent invention, wherein the ALC is shown as a component of the systemof FIG. 9 . Additionally, or alternatively, by way of example and notlimitation, smart breakers and command relay devices, are active gridelements following their registration according to the presentinvention, and may be considered and operated as submeters formeasurement and verification purposes. In other method steps for thepresent invention, FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of methodsaccording to the present invention for tracking state of active gridelements as ALCs having an IP address within an electric power gridsystem. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram providing an overview of anIP-based active energy management system (EMS) in accordance with thepresent invention, including active grid elements as ALC, ALD, IP-basedcommunication, load control devices and power consuming devices, whichare described in more detail in the following specification. Asillustrated, the EMS/Grid Operator/Market Participant/Retail ElectricProvider/Independent Power Producer/Automatic Generation Controlcomponent(s) of the system of the present invention are in networkedcommunication with active grid elements (in this example, ALD(s)) viaIP-based communication methods, for communicating with these active gridelements about load control events to control devices and/or ALCs formanaging load consumed by power consuming devices. A variety of systemelements are illustrated for exemplary purposes, to show the interactionbetween the active grid elements.

In another aspect of factors addressed by the present invention, FIG. 12is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary system arrangement forconservation voltage reduction (CVR). Transmission lines, illustrated onthe left side of the diagram, transfer electric power from the powergeneration source, which may be a utility, to an electrical bus orsubstation, where it is transformed to provide distribution voltages(e.g., about 6.9 kV in this example and single phase) to additionaltransformers, indicated as F1, F2, F3, . . . FN, where voltagemeasurement along the feeder via ALC(s). Under current standards,voltages must be kept at between about +/−3% and about +/−5%, but in anycase maintained as required by standards, for final distribution at theend of the line to prevent damage to power consuming devices. The activegrid elements functioning as ALCs preferably transmit voltageinformation and line loss information to the other active grid elementsfunctioning as ALD(s). The active grid elements therefore establish aphase/voltage “locked” loop to automatically control the voltages sothat the CVR creates megawatts of operating reserves according to themethods and systems of the present invention.

Also, by way of introduction to the commercial application of thepresent invention, considering basic operations of the electric powergrid is helpful, in conjunction with the PRIOR ART figures referencedherein. PRIOR ART FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustratinggeneration, transmission, distribution, and load consumption within atraditional electric power grid. PRIOR ART FIG. 14 is a schematicdiagram illustrating traditional transmission systems that connect toelectric power sources to distribution facilities, including smartmetering and advanced metering.

PRIOR ART FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating power generationor supply balancing with customer demand for electric power within agrid. PRIOR ART FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating balancingareas and their interaction for power generation or supply balancingwith customer demand for electric power within a grid, where utilitiesare connected by transmission lines and balancing areas. PRIOR ART FIG.17 is a schematic diagram illustrating regions and balancing areas andtheir interaction for power generation or supply balancing with customerdemand for electric power within a grid. These balancing areas (BAs)provide for opportunities for the electric power grid and/or amultiplicity of grids that are constructed and configured for networkedcommunication and power distribution therebetween. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, communication with active grid elements passesthrough or is routed by at least one Coordinator for providing theone-to-many coordination of communication, messaging, etc. between themany active grid elements and the EMS, inside a given BA or between BAs,which may involve at least one Coordinator for each BA, therebyproviding for managed, coordinated cross-communication of status,change-in-status, grid stability metrics, control messages, andcombinations thereof.

The present invention systems and methods provide herein below for powertrade blocks or power trading blocks (PTBs) for facilitating thecollaboration across balancing areas and regions for supply and loadcurtailment management, for increasing power available, operatingreserves, and/or grid stability. In preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, at least one PTB is introduced and/or provided to theelectric power grid, including method steps of: valuing, trading,selling, bartering, sharing, exchanging, crediting, and combinationsthereof. Thus the present invention provides for electric trading marketacross BAs or microgrids or individual active grid elements, includingload consuming customers or supply sources, whether generation, storage,or distribution or transmission.

Telemetry, measurement, verification, PSV, PTB, and other factorsdescribed herein, in compliance with FERC 745, 750, and 755, providewith the present invention the capacity for active grid elementsfunctioning for providing curtailment as operating reserves to becompensated for megawatts at the clearing price, and for supply to beprovided or indicated as available to be provided, and compensated orsettled for megawatts at the clearing price. Clearing prices are eitherdetermined by many attributes including their location of where thepower is delivered or accepted by a generator of power or a purchaser ofpower. The term “Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP)” refers to a nodewhere power is either delivered from a generator or accepted by apurchaser. A node corresponds to a physical bus or collection of buseswithin the network or any other geodetically defined boundary asspecified by the governing entity. A load or supply zone is defined asan aggregation of nodes. The zonal price is the load-weighted average ofthe prices of all nodes in the zone. A hub is defined as therepresentative selection of nodes to facilitate long-term commercialenergy trading. The hub price is a simple average of LMPs at all hublocations. An external or proxy node is defined as the location thatserves as a proxy for trading between ISO-Balancing area and itsneighbors. According to the present invention, the at least one gridelement(s) includes transmission or distribution control node,monitoring node, telemetry node, routing node, electrical routing node,fault protection node, generation node, load control node, devices(active & passive), sensors, etc., wherein any node includes aninterface and/or an attachment.

For vertically integrated utilities that do not have open markets asISOs, their delivery or acceptance of power can occur at theirboundaries of their “Balancing Area”, which is defined as the geographywhere their transmission and distribution system extends and is subjectto grid stability maintained by that utility. Balancing Authorityboundaries can also be delivery points or (LMP) pricing points. Itshould be noted that vertically integrated utilities are subject to thesame FERC and NERC rules as decoupled utilities in ISOs, except invertically integrated utilities, local public utility commissions havemore authority to enforce and enhance rules since the rate base is beingcharged for improvements to the grid within the balancing area (BA) thatthe utility serves. Three FERC orders (745, 750, 755; all from 2011)apply to electric power grid load management and distributed supply,including active grid elements and their registration and functionalitywithin the system according to methods and apparatus embodiments forpresent invention. The trend in the world market is to inject marketforces to utilities such that they must follow new FERC rules thatpermit the use of demand response technologies/load curtailmenttechnologies to promote the need for fewer large scale, primarily fossilfuel power plants.

Power is generally traded in terms of “Capacity” the reserved peakamount of power that a generator agrees to reserve for the utility,market participant, or REP; and “Energy” is defined as the amount ofpower consumed by the utility, market participant, REP or any entitythat is authorized to buy, sell or distribute power for the electricpower grid, consumers, particularly commercial accounts, also purchasepower in this manner. Energy is settled on the wholesale market in“MegaWatt Hours”, which is defined as one (1) million watts ofelectricity consumed at a metering point, or interchange of power such aLMP, transmission tie point between two utilities, a commercial customerlarge enough to consume such an amount, a utility (generating ordistributing) or a market participant including a REP that generallypurchases the power from a generating utility and utilizes thedistribution network to supply its power purchased at the wholesalelevel and distributes its power to end consumers/customers generally insmaller increments of measurement “kilowatt hours (kWH).” Theseincrements are important due to the introduction of programs involvingutilizing curtailment technologies enabled by FERC Order 745, 750, 755whereby utilities, market participants, REPs and CSPs may aggregatetheir curtailment/DR and/or supply in increments of “kW-representing acapacity figure” and “kWH” which represents avoided energy. Peak“capacity” charges are settled based upon intervals whereby theinstantaneous peak (kW/MW) determines the “capacity” charge.

In particular, by way of more detailed explanation, in 2011, FERC issueda series of orders (745, 750, 755) that have had a pronounced impact onthe injection of new technologies, particularly distributed loadresource, curtailment, demand response technologies, and distributedsupply sources, to the market to be implemented across all of the US andwith direct applicability to World markets. FERC Order 745, issued Mar.15, 2011 and adopted April 2011, and which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety, provides that utilities, market participants,CSPs, REPs or any other entity that can aggregate a minimum tradingblock of power that can be accepted into the market, BA, or utilityservice area or regional trading area (RTO) must be compensated for suchcurtailment/load resource and demand response technology at the clearingprice at the nearest LMP as though it was generation; this provides thatactive grid elements associated with these supply and/or curtailmentactivities may be individually tracked, managed, reported, andcompensated based upon their individual contribution to the aggregatedsettlement. Said plainly, “Negawatts” have the same value as“Megawatts.” Controversial, particularly to those utilities that stillhave the antiquated practice of rate base recovery of assets to insureprofits, the conditions of which these “Negawatts” are compensated as“Megawatts” place a high value on those curtailment/load resource/demandresponse technologies that can create utility Operating Reserves for thebenefit of grid stability. Operating Reserves, previously defined, comein different capacity and energy products or their equivalencies in thecase of curtailment/load resources/demand response and are compensatedat the nearest LMP based upon their ability to perform to the same levelof measurement, verification, responsiveness (latency) and settlement asgeneration. This high standard has the practical effect of rewardingthose advanced technologies that can perform as generation equivalencies(load resources), while still allowing capacity products (traditionaland advanced demand response) to also participate in the market andperform the valuable function of providing capacity and energy resourceswithout the need for transmission losses (avoided power avoidstransmission of kWH/MWH to the endpoint, therefore freeing uptransmission and distribution lines to carry power elsewhere where it isneeded). It should be noted that most utilities do not have accuratemeasurements of distribution losses below their electrical bus(substation levels) and as such high performance, IP-based active gridelments and corresponding service points that allow this information tobe brought forward to the utility operations promote the OperatingReserves and “Negawatts” and add to their value.

Related US Patents and Patent applications, including U.S. applicationSer. No. 13/172,389, filed Jun. 29, 2011, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 12/715,195, filed Mar. 1, 2010, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,032,233, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.11/895,909 filed Aug. 28, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,715,951, all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety; thesedocuments include descriptions of some active load management withinpower grids, and provide additional background and context for thepresent invention systems and methods.

Also, in this document, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,”“top” and “bottom,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish oneentity or element from another entity or element without necessarilyrequiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or orderbetween such entities or elements. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,”or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusiveinclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises a list of elements does not include only those elements, butmay include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to suchprocess, method, article, or apparatus. The term “plurality of” as usedin connection with any object or action means two or more of such objector action. A claim element proceeded by the article “a” or “an” doesnot, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additionalidentical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus thatincludes the element.

By way of definition and description supporting the claimed subjectmatter, preferably, the present invention includes communicationmethodologies for messaging via a communication layer. IP-basedcommunications over a network are most preferred. Correspondingly, andconsistent with the communication methodologies for messaging accordingto the present invention, as used throughout this specification, figuresand claims, the term “ZigBee” refers to any wireless communicationprotocol adopted by the Institute of Electronics & Electrical Engineers(IEEE) according to standard 802.15.4 or any successor standard(s), theterm “Wi-Fi” refers to any communication protocol adopted by the IEEEunder standard 802.11 or any successor standard(s), the term “WiMax”refers to any communication protocol adopted by the IEEE under standard802.16 or any successor standard(s), and the term “Bluetooth” refers toany short-range communication protocol implementing IEEE standard802.15.1 or any successor standard(s). Additionally or alternatively toWiMax, other communications protocols may be used, including but notlimited to a “1G” wireless protocol such as analog wirelesstransmission, first generation standards based (IEEE, ITU or otherrecognized world communications standard), a “2G” standards basedprotocol such as “EDGE or CDMA 2000 also known as 1XRTT”, a 3G basedstandard such as “High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) or Evolution for DataOnly (EVDO), any accepted 4G standard such as “IEEE, ITU standards thatinclude WiMax, Long Term Evolution “LTE” and its derivative standards,any Ethernet solution wireless or wired, or any proprietary wireless orpower line carrier standards that communicate to a client device or anycontrollable device that sends and receives an IP based message. Theterm “High Speed Packet Data Access (HSPA)” refers to any communicationprotocol adopted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) oranother mobile telecommunications standards body referring to theevolution of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standardbeyond its third generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) protocols. The term “Long Term Evolution (LTE)” refers to anycommunication protocol adopted by the ITU or another mobiletelecommunications standards body referring to the evolution ofGSM-based networks to voice, video and data standards anticipated to bereplacement protocols for HSPA. The term “Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) Evolution Date-Optimized (EVDO) Revision A (CDMA EVDO Rev. A)”refers to the communication protocol adopted by the ITU under standardnumber TIA-856 Rev. A.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention describedherein may be comprised of one or more conventional processors andunique stored program instructions that control the one or moreprocessors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processorcircuits, some, most, or all of the functions for managing power loaddistribution and tracking individual subscriber power consumption andsavings in one or more power load management systems as describedherein. The non-processor circuits may include, but are not limited to,radio receivers, radio transmitters, antennas, modems, signal drivers,clock circuits, power source circuits, relays, meters, smart breakers,current sensors, and user input devices. As such, these functions may beinterpreted as steps of a method to distribute information and controlsignals between devices in a power load management system.Alternatively, some or all functions could be implemented by a statemachine that has no stored program instructions, or in one or moreapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), in which each functionor some combinations of functions are implemented as custom logic. Ofcourse, a combination of the two approaches could be used. Thus, methodsand means for these functions have been described herein. Further, it isexpected that one of ordinary skill in the art, notwithstanding possiblysignificant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example,available time, current technology, and economic considerations, whenguided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein, will be readilycapable of generating such software instructions, programs andintegrated circuits (ICs), and appropriately arranging and functionallyintegrating such non-processor circuits, without undue experimentation.

Recently, the IEEE and ITU have released improved WiMax and Long TermEvolution wireless standards that have facilitated the consideration ofnew technologies to improve the response and control of power loadcontrol devices employing smart breaker and smart disconnect switchesthat include advanced smart meters where IP multimedia gateways areembedded or attach as separate connected printed circuit boards,submetering technologies that possess sufficient “revenue grade”metrology such that the measurements provided by these devices may beaccepted for settlement purposes. The term “revenue grade” is anindustry term, as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in theart, a percentage of accuracy determined by ANSI, which means that powermeasurement must be within ½% of the actual value being consumed. Thus,calibration standards are provided accordingly to OEMs of powermeasuring devices and/or chips. In embodiments of the systems andmethods of the present invention, these calibration standards are metvia components including a chipset and related software, and thetransmittal of the power measurement information via IP-basedcommunications as set forth hereinabove. Baselining techniques thatprovide a reference power usage point, sampling techniques that allowfor verification of the power “state” and power consumption data forelectricity consuming devices (inductive or resistive), reactive power,Power Factor, start-up current, duty cycles, voltage, consumptionforecasts and most importantly real-time or near real time powermeasurement sampling, etc. are required to derive a Power Supply Value(PSV) that includes an American National Standards Institute (ANSI),ISO, grid operator, governing body revenue measurement, etc., which ispreferably aggregated to reach the size of at least a single Power TradeBlock (PTB) unit for the purposes of optimally monetizing the activeload management from the customer perspective. PTBs are dependent on agrid operator, regional transmission operator, or independent systemoperator to determine the capacity size (in kW or MW) or energy data in(kWH or MWH) that can be accepted for bidding, trading, settlement bythe utility, the end consumer/customer, the market participant, the CSP,demand response aggregator or any entity authorized by the governmententity that regulates grid operators such as FERC, NERC etc. Generallydue to measurement, verification, transmission and/or distributionmodeling (which considers the impact to the grid from the curtailmentactivities at any geodetic location on the grid, but generally modeledby electrical bus or substation), the minimum acceptable PTB is 100 kWat the time of the present invention. This limitation is not expected tobe permanent, given these advancements in measurement/verification, thenear real time or real time IP/Ethernet based telemetry capabilitiespresented by a plurality of various communications methods as discussedin this embodiment and the advancements in service oriented architecturebased (SOA) software and hardware subsystems, when combined with an ALDand ALC that can perform at a sublevel such that the minimum PTB can bedetermined at the device, home, building, service point, commercial,industrial, transformer, feeder, substation, transmission line and anysub-point along the transmission and distribution feeder system of anelectrical grid as so long as minimum telemetry, measurement,verifications, validation are met and are capable of being aggregated toa minimum PTB acceptable to the grid operator, ISO, RTO, BA or any otherincrement of grid topography used now or in the future for settlingpower block increments by sub-PTB.

Embodiments of the present invention expand upon and enhance priortechnologies by, among other things, employing WiMax, High Speed PacketAccess (HSPA), Evolution for Data Only (EVDO), both considered 3^(rd)generation wireless standards, Long Term Evolution (LTE), considered atthe time of the invention as a “4G” standard and its derivativestandards that are most assuredly to be introduced during the life ofthis invention, IEEE 802.11 (X) also known as “WiFi” and its derivativestandards inclusive of “Multiple Input Multiple Output” (MIMO), as setforth in the communication methodologies hereinabove, a plurality ofproprietary mesh and point to point communications solutions or anyInternet Protocol (IP)-based load control in a system with the abilityto monitor and measure, in real time or in sufficient time increments tosatisfy the telemetry performance standards as established by theGovernment or governing bodies (ex: National Electric ReliabilityCorporation (NERC), the Federal Energy Reliability Commission (FERC) theamount of power deferred, conserved or removed (or carbon, SO₂, or NO₂eliminated), such as by way of example the Kyoto or Copenhagen Protocolsthat set up carbon credits. These improvements allow new options forelectric utilities or any market participant to defer or invest in newpower generation that is friendlier to the environment.

IP-based power management is advantageous over existing systems for manyreasons. This is particularly true for communications and control thatemploy Internet Protocol Version 6 (V6) whereby each of the multiplicityof active grid elements, including but not limited to load consumingdevice (ALC), meter, load control device, programmable thermostat (PCT),building control system or any device utilized for the measurement andcontrol of power, and any supply-related element or device and relatedsensors and controllers, and their corresponding derivation of PSVand/or PTB for the purpose of power management, whether curtailment orsupply, can have its own static IP address, virtual private network withenhanced security, to provide for operating reserves acceptable to thegrid regulator, operator, or equivalent. Revenue grade metrology andIP-communication of a unique identifier, such as by way of example andnot limitation, a static IP address or dynamically assigned IP addressthrough IP V4 to provide for a unique identifier at that time, for eachof the grid elements or device(s), control device(s), the Coordinator,and combinations thereof are critical for the real-time aggregation ofPSVs to form at least one PTB corresponding to the load curtailmentevent. Thus, every piece of hardware having an IMEI (internationalmanufacturer equipment identifier) and electronic serial numbers or MACaddress are combinable with IP V6 so that each device has a uniqueidentifier that provides for enhanced security and settlement. Otherwell established methods of secure transmission include the use ofencryption “keys” widely used amongst the transmission of informationbetween two IP based or proprietary solutions for the securecommunication of PSVs, PTBs, equipment identifiers, “states”, or anyother grid stabilizing command, control or status message necessary toimplement advanced load curtailment, load resources, or demand responsefor purposes of creating or aggregating individual load sources, groupsof load sources, or any sub increment to create Operating Reserves andother grid stabilizing reserves that improve grid stability andoperation. And correspondingly, for all supply availability and/oractual supply provided or introduced to the electric power grid for eachactive grid element, PSVs and PTBs, are aggregated as power supplysources in groups, or any sub increment to create distributed powersupply for introduction at any predetermined attachment points,geographic locations, and combinations thereof, provided that itcomplies with all requirements, by way of example and not limitation,FERC, NERC, governing authority rules and requirements, etc.

For example, the Coordinator provides for positive control allows asystem controller to receive a response from any active grid element atany location following its automatic registration with the electricpower grid. Once functioning as intended, the active grid elementcommunicates additional messaging, for example, which indicates that theactual target device has turned “off” or “on”, or reduced, as in thecase of a variable speed inductive device or a variable power consumingresistive device whereby complete operation is not interrupted but powerconsumption is reduced to create the operating reserve via curtailmentof some but not all of the power from the power consuming device.Correspondingly, for any active grid elements that function as powersupply, GSS or SSS elements provide for electric power supply availablefor introduction through attachment points for the grid. Additionally,each active grid element includes an unique active grid elementidentifier, which may include an equipment identifier, but which iscompletely unique to each active grid element. Also, for each activegrid element, its IP address is either dynamically assigned when thegrid element is registered automatically with the system (e.g., throughuse of the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)) or staticallyassigned by the serving IP network, thereby providing enhanced securityto protect against an act of random terrorism or sabotage inadvertentlyshutting down power services. Existing power management systems,including those utilizing radio subsystems that operate in unlicensedand uncontrolled spectrum bands such as the FCC is in bands, do notaddress security problems adequately and thus are more likelysusceptible to hostile or malicious acts. Further embodiments of theseactive grid element identifiers include the use of MAC addresses,standards based encryption keys, and the normal encryption technologiesthat are inherent with the use of standards based communications methodssuch as HSPA, EVDO and LTE where packets are encrypted from the pointthey leave the radio base station or in some cases the router and eventhe application layer itself. Further embodiments include VirtualPrivate Network (VPN) and VPN tunnels that form virtual physical layerconnections via an IP transport layer.

The market for electric power forecasts its needs on a predeterminedbasis, e.g., at least one day ahead of the event for load curtailment orsupply request. Load amounts for generation or curtailment are providedfor at least one location, geography, BA, and/or attachment point forthe grid; also, corresponding pricing for those load amounts, dependingupon the timing for the event, are also provided. Standby and clearingof energy supply are provided. These are generally controlled by anenergy trader in the market. Allocation is made for regulating reserves,operating reserves, ancillary resources, real-time energy, andcombinations thereof. For example a bid is submitted to ERCOT. Thestatus of each active grid element, including load-consuming devices andsupply sources is provided through messaging, preferably through theCoordinator; also, the Coordinator provides for information andmessaging relating to active grid element or device identification,capacity, status, etc. The Coordinator is the routing, status, capacity,identifier, tracking, and/or control communicator between themultiplicity of active grid elements and the EMS or control server, ASD.By reference to FIG. 8 , ALC communicates its status through an ALD,ASD, and/or the Coordinator to the EMS and/or grid operator. Thecommunication occurs through the various methods and componentsidentified herein. The message from the active grid element and/ordevice, including identification of the element or device, capacity,availability for supply or load curtailment, etc. Significantly, eachgrid element must be registered with the grid to be activatedfunctionally, to then provide for active grid element functionalparticipation in the grid for the predetermined, intended function ofthe respective active grid element. In preferred embodiments, thisregistration occurs through the Coordinator and via IP messaging, andthe telemetry is provided as required by the grid for those specificactive grid elements, and depending upon their participation, function,and/or role in the grid. For example, telemetry streams at differentrates for regulating reserves (real-time or change state every sixseconds) and dead band controlled separately by the EMS, through theCoordinator, and for each of the active grid elements, including but notlimited to ALD/ASD, controller, etc.

IP-based systems are also bandwidth or network efficient. For example,IP devices are controlled via the 7-layer Open Systems Interconnection(OSI) model whereby the payload of each packet can contain a message or“change in state” or any other message required in the previousembodiments for purposes of stabilizing, statusing and the creation ofOperating Reserves for an electric grid or microgrid and does notrequire synchronous communication. This method of transmission (forexample “UDP” communications) allows for very minimum overhead and lowdata rates on a broadband network. IP Networks can also establishTransport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) messaging formatsfor transport of messaging. For proprietary ‘mesh” networks whosebandwidth performance is very poor and an IP message may be encapsulatedin a proprietary data packet that may or may not contain encryption, anefficient asynchronous communication method may be the only way to sendout a plurality of messages and message type for command and control orstatus reporting. Additionally, IP devices can report many states thatare important to an electric grid operator, market participant. Thesestates supply compliance information necessary for the entity to receivecommand and control to insure the safe and reliable operation of thegrid, but are also necessary for measurement, verification, telemetry,settlement and Power Supply Values (PSVs) to provide the informationneeded to comply with the grid operator's standards to deliver OperatingReserves or any Demand response products where the end results improvegrid stability and will allow the consumer, utility, market participant,REP, CSP etc. to receive monetary compensation for supplying theseproducts as contemplated in FERC Order 745. These commands, including“no power” for outage or for simple demand response compliance measuredand verified at the device level, the meter level, the electrical buslevel or a plurality of all the above. Furthermore these commands areaggregated and presented to the grid operator or utility so that “many”end points, or active grid elements, can be simultaneously operated asone resource and responsive to an EMS. For example, the active loadclient 300 may be implemented with a battery backup mechanism to providebackup or auxiliary power to the active load client 300 when AC power islost. In this case, when battery backup is invoked, the active loadclient can report a “no power” condition. Alternatively, a “no power”condition may be assumed if an active load client fails to timelyrespond to a message (e.g., a poll or other message) from the ALDserver, particularly where multiple active load clients in a geographicarea fail to timely respond to the ALD server messaging or multiple UDPpackets receive no acknowledgement. Because the geographic location ofeach customer premises and active load client may be known at the timeof installation or thereafter (e.g., using GPS coordinates), suchnetwork outages may be located on a per meter basis, or per loadconsuming device basis.

A multiplicity of use cases for communications relating to the activegrid elements is provided under the systems and methods of the presentinvention. Messaging under the present invention includes any and allcommands, queries, etc. that relate to the profiles of the devices,“health” of the grid, status information, etc. Profiles automaticallydrive what is started, when, for controlled restart, rather than onlycontrolled restart commanded by the utility; the present inventionprovides for either the profiles and/or the utility to communicate forcommand and control, in particular for providing for grid stabilityand/or supply resource information.

Further embodiment allows the ALD, ASD, and/or Coordinator server toprovide prior to the loss of communication or power a set of profiles orcommands to be executed at the active grid elements level such that theyoperate automatically and autonomously providing the operating reservesthat the grid operator or utility desires, storing the measurement andverification information for transmittal later, or in the case of apower loss, very precise “re-start” procedures such that thesimultaneous impact of a power restoration from a grid operator does nothave the adverse effect of overloading the generation and distributionsystem. These embodiments of a “controlled restart” may also apply to aCustomer Profile where the most mission critical devices at a consumerlocation are prioritized, known to the utility via a Power Supply Valueand other load characteristics such as power factor, voltage, current,reactive power or any other grid stabilizing metric that is reportedhistorically by the active grid elements such that the grid operator orthe customer can use these autonomous profiles, autonomous active gridelements and memory in same to create “microgrids” that autonomouslyoperate independent of the macro-grid operator and provide gridstabilizing load resources to those consumers that are isolated via themicrogrid where other supply sources that can power and operate themicrogrid either under the operation of a computer controlled system andapparatus or a separate utility or microgrid operator exists and mayoperate autonomously until communication with a host ALD or Coordinatoris re-established.

One of the most beneficial advantages of an IP-based power managementsystem, as provided in one embodiment of the present invention, isaccurate reporting of the actual amount of power available for thecreation of Operating Reserves via a distinct PSV value and associatedwith the active grid elements at the time the reserves are needed, aforecast of Power available via the customer profiles due to a pluralityof methods that include known “expected” behavior of customer and loadconsuming devices, the baseline methods previously described, and theability to allocate different types of operating reserves based upon theGrid Operator, CSP, MP, Utility, and equivalent's needs at the givencondition of the the grid as well as power saved by each customer on anindividual basis. Embodiments of the present invention monitor andcalculate precisely how many kilowatts (or carbon credits) are beinggenerated or saved per each of the active grid elements instead ofmerely providing an estimate. These values are stored in a Power SupplyValue (PSV) associated with the active grid elements, wherein thehistorical consumption, the real time consumption, the baselineconsumption data as provided by standards supplied by the governing body(NAESBY, FERC, NERC) establish the PSV that is used for transmitting viathe IP message the information necessary for grid stabilizing operatingreserves. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention providemeans for tracking the actual amount of deferred load and pollutantsaccording to generation mix, serving utility and geographic area, andtracking by active grid elements individual contributions. Thesedeferred pollutants are recognized as “Renewable Energy Credits” asexemplified by the recently passed North Carolina Law known as SenateBill 567, where these PSV derived “Negawatts” count towards a generatingand distributing utilities obligations for supplying renewable energy asa percentage of their total generation mix. According to the presentinvention, if active grid elements have metrics and telemetry thatconfirm their corresponding curtailment or supply is measured, verified,settled within the parameters established, then utility can accept thesupply (aggregated by active grid elements to provide at least one PTB)that would have been available in the case of curtailment event, thenrenewable energy credits are available to the active grid element(s)level, i.e., megawatts equal renewable energy credits on a per activegrid element basis.

The present invention provides systems and methods for managing powersupplied over an electric power grid by an electric utility and/or othermarket participants to multiple active grid elements, each of whichhaving a Power Supply Value (PSV) associated with its energy consumptionand/or reduction in consumption. Preferably, according the systems andmethods of the present invention, generation of the PSV includesestimating and/or baselining. Furthermore, PSV applications for carboncredits may be geodetically dependent, measured, or computed based uponelectricity consumed from a source for each of the active grid elements;for carbon credits, PSV is then based upon fossil fuel electricityeliminated through efficiency, reduction and baselining, provided thatthe PSV is measurable and verifiable.

The present invention systems, methods, and apparatus embodimentsprovide for any active grid element (i.e., any grid element followingits registration initially with the system) to communicate, in IP formator any proprietary messaging, any message that improves, modifies,enhances, changes, and combinations thereof, the characteristics inmemory, ASIC, metrology, location, security, status, change-in-state,and combinations thereof, including PSV, PTB, or other information aboutparticipation in activities in the grid, including grid stabilityenhancement, load curtailment, real-time energy management, supplyavailability, metrology tables, device assignment, and combinationsthereof. More preferably, all messaging, including initial registrationfor grid elements prior to their activation and transformation intoactive grid elements, and any updates, are provided between themultiplicity of active grid elements and the Coordinator, and managedfrom and through the Coordinator for one-to-many communications with theEMS, grid operator, supervisory control and distribution control andautomation, transmission control, or any active grid management system.

Power flow from supply sources, whether GSS or SSS, to the grid, and/orpower flow through the grid to the power consuming devices isselectively introduced, enabled, reduced and disabled by one or moreactive grid elements controlled and/or managed by the Coordinator, andmeasured with PSV and PTB accuracies for each of the active gridelements that are able to be recognized by the governing bodies withinrevenue grade metrology such that the active grid element(s) becomes inessence a sub-meter with PSV values that can report over the IPconnection, preferably through the Coordinator, a plurality of statesfor any active grid element or device, necessary for grid stability andcontrol over each ALC/ASC via the ALD/ASC such that each distributionpoint on the grid may be stabilized at each point of the distribution ortransmission system to effect grid stabilization holistically ratherthan reacting to conditions as they occur. Power control messages from acontrolling server, preferably communicated through the Coordinator,indicate amounts of electric power to be reduced and/or OperatingReserves to be created, and/or supply to be introduced at predeterminedattachment points or location, and an identification of at least onecontrollable device to be instructed to disable, reduce or consume morea flow of electric power to one or more associated power consumingdevices depending on the type of Operating Reserves needed at the timeof activation by the ALD through the IP connection to the associated ALCto create the desired Operating Reserve or grid stabilizing reserves.Notably, the power control commands include a power inquiry commandrequesting the server to determine an amount of electric power available(PSV) for temporary reduction or increase from supply or adding tosupply (for example, Auto Reg up for regulating reserves/Reg Down) by arequesting electric utility, market participant or electric power gridoperator(s) and wherein the command processor issues an associated powercontrol event message responsive to the power inquiry command, theserver further comprising: a database that stores current power usageinformation for the at least one electric utility or electric power gridoperator(s), wherein the event manager (or Coordinator) accesses theutility database responsive to receipt of the associated power controlevent message and communicates a response to the power inquiry commandindicating the amount of power available for temporary reduction basedon the current power usage information and the corresponding PowerSupply Value (PSV), estimated, derived or generated therefrom, for eachof the active grid elements. This polling command also functions as an“alert” to provide the active grid elements via the ALC/ASC to reportthe PSV, PTB, state, reactive power, voltage, current, or any other gridstabilizing metric to the ALD/ASD such that the ALD/ASD can byelectrical bus, by regional transmission organization, by BalancingAuthority, by microgrid, by individual consumer or by individualtransformer or any other system at any point on the distribution systemof the grid or microgrid a plurality of information such that theALD/ASD/Coordinator can prioritize the order, the type of curtailment,reduction in power or profile to effect to stabilize the grid ormicrogrid or to supply the utility, REP, market participant, CSP orother an instantaneous and accurate snapshot of the available resourcefor dispatch and to prepare the active grid elements to look for apriority message delivered via an IP flag or specially formatted messageso that the message combined with the Alert has the grid stabilizingeffect. Thus, the present invention systems and methods provide forcreation of the grid stability product and/or operating reserve;messaging is used for status, grid “health”, down to active gridelements level.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, operating reservemessages are prioritized over network, including over other traffic onthe network. Furthermore, priority messaging is further includes so thaton standards-based or proprietary communications networks that havesufficient speed, measurement (PSV) and are responsive to an EMS and/orCoordinator that have network priority over other packets, such thatemergency and/or critical infrastructure protection power managementcommands receive priority over any other power control commands, totransmit those messages over other non-critical traffic.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for managing poweron an electric power grid that is constructed and configured forsupplying and receiving power from a multiplicity of sources, where thepower flows to a plurality of active grid elements or is generated by aplurality of active grid elements, including power generation andstorage solutions, that are enabled and disabled by a plurality ofactive grid elements including controllable devices, wherein the systemincludes: a server comprising a command processor operable to receive orinitiate power commands and issue power event messages responsivethereto, at least one of the power commands requiring a reduction orincrease in an amount of electric power consumed by the plurality ofactive grid elements functioning as power consuming devices orintroduction or availability for introduction of distributed powersupply by active grid elements including GSS or SSS; an event manageroperable to receive the power control event messages, maintain at leastone power management status relating to each client device and issuepower control event instructions responsive to the power control eventmessages that may be initiated from a market participant, a utility, oran electric grid operator; a database for storing, information relatingto power consumed by the plurality of power consuming devices and basedupon the amount of power to be reduced to each of the power consumingdevices or power supply source (GSS or SSS), generating at least onepower supply value (PSV) or change in PSV associated with each activegrid element, including transmission line losses in proximity associatedwith the location or attachment or service point of the active gridelement; and a client device manager operably coupled to the eventmanager and the database, the client device manager selecting from thedatabase, based on the information stored in the database, at least oneclient device to which to issue a power control message indicating atleast one of an amount of electric power to be reduced or increased orintroduced by distributed supply source, and/or identification of atleast one controllable device to be instructed to disable a flow ofelectric power to one or more associated active grid elementsfunctioning as power consuming devices responsive to receipt of a powercontrol event instruction requiring a reduction in a specified amount ofelectric power; the plurality of controllable device and correspondingdevice interfaces facilitating communication of power controlinstructions to the controllable devices, the power control instructionscausing the at least one controllable device to selectively enable anddisable a flow of power to the power consuming device(s); and a devicecontrol manager operably coupled to the controllable device interfacesfor issuing a power control instruction to the controllable devicesthrough the controllable device interfaces, responsive to the receivedpower control message, the power control instruction causing thecontrollable device(s) to disable a flow of electric power to at leastone associated power consuming device for reducing consumed power, andbased upon the reduction in consumed power, generating another (at leasta second) power supply value (PSV) corresponding to the reduction inconsumed power or power supplied or available for supply.

This embodiment may further include a combination of a processor,database, event manager, preferences manager and market conditions toinclude price of electric power, grid stabilization events and locationof customer relative to the grid operator's generation, transmission,and distribution elements would effect a change on the electric grid bya change in the power consuming devices utilizes some or all of theinformation provided by the grid operator, market participant, orutility to automatically or manually through a plurality ofcommunications methods (smart phone, tablet computer, computer, textresponse, phone message) elect to curtail or consume power to effect achange to the normal operation of a plurality of active grid elements inexchange for credits, economic/monetary incentives, rewards programs, orcarbon/green credits. This provides that active grid elements receives areal time or near real time signal from a grid operator that alerts themto an economic event that would allow them to make substantialcompensation for curtailing or accepting power at that minimum timeinterval for both reporting and responding as established by thegoverning entity. This is real-time pricing for gridstress/stabilization or very high commodity pricing.

Preferably, market pricing conditions via a customer profile that can beloaded to a smart phone, tablet, or any web-enabled appliance foraccepting or modifying a profile or moreover a profile that automatedcontrols based upon previously selected economic messages.

One embodiment of the present invention active grid elements and theirregistration is applied to controlling power distribution for a varietyof electric utility companies, market participant (MP) or any otherelectric power grid operator(s) by actively monitoring the amount ofpower needed by each MP and supplying the required power by redirectingpower from participating customers. In this embodiment, customers agreeto allow the power management system to disable certain power-consumingdevices during peak loading times of the day. In one example for activegrid elements, smart breakers, load control switches (submetering ALCs)or any other device that can be interfaced or added within an electricconsuming device or added at the point where the electric consumingdevices receives power from a wall socket or any other electricalconnection which have the ability to be switched on or off remotely, areinstalled for specific devices in an electric service control panelaccessed by a known IP address following the initial registration of thegrid elements. Alternatively, IP-addressable smart appliances may beused. The power management system determines the amount of steady-statepower each device consumes when turned on and logs the information in adatabase for each subscriber. For example, a current sensor on eachsmart appliance or within each smart breaker or power measurementcircuit that is incorporated in the device that serves as a de-facto ALCwith metrology sufficient to be accepted as a PSV for aggregation to theALD for the creation of Operating Reserves may measure the amount ofcurrent consumed by each monitored device. An active load client thenmultiplies the amount of current consumed by the operating voltage ofthe device to obtain the power consumption, and transmits the powerconsumption to the ALD server. When the serving utility needs more powerthan it is currently able to supply, the power load management systemautomatically adjusts the power distribution by turning off or reducingspecific loads on an individual device or subscriber basis. Because theamount of power consumed by each specific load is known via the PSV andaggregated via the PTB, the system can determine precisely which loadsto turn off or reduce and tracks the power savings generated by eachcustomer as a result of this short-term outage.

Furthermore, based upon the reduction in consumed power, the systems andmethods of the present invention provide for generating at the controlcenter a power supply value (PSV) corresponding to the reduction inconsumed power by the power consuming device(s). Importantly, the PSV isan actual value that includes measurement and verification of thereduction in consumed power; such measurement and verification methodsmay be determined by the appropriate governing body or authority for theelectric power grid(s). Power Supply Value (PSV) is calculated at themeter or submeter or at building control system or at any device orcontroller that measures power within the standard as supplied by theregulatory body(ies) that govern the regulation of the grid. PSVvariations may depend on operating tolerances, operating standard foraccuracy of the measurement. PSV further includes forecasting,statistical sampling, baselining, and combinations thereof. The PSVenables transformation of curtailment or reduction in power at thedevice level by any system that sends or receives an IP message to berelated to or equated to supply as presented to the governing entitythat accepts these values and award supply equivalence, for example of apower generating entity or an entity allowed to control power consumingdevices as permitted by the governing body of the electric power grid,e.g., FERC, NERC, etc.

PSV may be provided in units of capacity, demand, electrical power flow,time, monetary equivalent, energy and combinations thereof. Thus, thePSV provides an actual value that is confirmed by measurement and/orverification, thereby providing for a curtailment value as a requirementfor providing supply to the power grid, wherein the supply to the powerelectric power grid is provided for grid stability, voltage stability,reliability, and combinations thereof, and is further provided asresponsive to an energy management system or equivalent for providinggrid stability, reliability, frequency as determined by governingauthority for the electric power grid and/or grid operator(s).

The present invention can be more readily understood with reference tothe Figures. FIG. 18 provides a schematic diagram illustrating activegrid elements including ALD, ALC, and IP communications for distributedgrid intelligence within systems of the present invention.

Smart grid configurations including active grid elements are preferredunder systems and methods of the present invention. By way of example,consider embodiments in FIGS. 19-21 , which provide schematic diagramsthat illustrate active grid elements within smart grid withdecentralized networks according to systems and methods of the presentinvention.

FIG. 22 shows a schematic diagram for supply from utility, marketparticipant, CSP, and/or REP, ALD/cloud layer, ICCP, control anddispatch, and micro-grid enablement according to systems and methods ofthe present invention.

As set forth hereinabove, the present invention provides systems andmethods for generating operating reserves for an electric power grid.Correspondingly, FIG. 23 provides a graphic illustration of operatingreserves categories and base load; FIG. 24 is a schematic diagramrepresenting operating reserves for supply side generation of electricpower for a grid, active grid elements, including ALD, ALC, powerconsuming devices, and other components of the systems and methods ofthe present invention for generating operating reserves of differentcategories.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the presentinvention with active grid elements, including power consuming devices,control devices, ALC, ALD, customer profile, IP communication network,and grid telemetry components of systems and methods of the presentinvention.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the presentinvention with active grid elements including EMS, power consumingdevices, control devices, ALC, ALD, customer profile, IP communicationnetwork, and grid telemetry components of systems and methods of thepresent invention. In another illustration, FIG. 27 shows a schematicdiagram for one embodiment of the present invention with active gridelements including EMS, power consuming devices, control devices, ALC,ALD, customer profile, IP communication network, and grid telemetrycomponents of systems and methods of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a table of consumer-adjustable parameters as examples forsystems and methods components according to the present invention. FIG.29 is a flow diagram illustrating method steps for energy-consumingdevices and the generation of power supply value (PSV) for thosedevices, according to embodiments of the present invention, includinglearning profile. Furthermore, FIG. 30 shows a flow diagram for methodsof the present invention for calculating the time period forenvironmentally dependent and independent devices and determining orgenerating power supply value (PSV) for those power-consuming devices.

By way of example, for active grid elements that function fortemperature or environmental-factor controlling devices as powerconsuming devices, FIG. 31 provides a graph showing at least three (3)dimensions for factors associated with load consumption and devicesmanaging temperature control for corresponding power consuming devices,including the change in factors over time. FIG. 32 is a graph showingfirst, second, and additional standard deviations of for the chart ofdrift versus time, for use with the systems and methods of the presentinvention. When active grid elements, including the coordinator and/orALD is automatically considering load curtailment, preferably a searchalgorithm provides the most load against the least amount of consumersimpacted. Based upon the thermal drift of structures, additionalstructures are identified and selected, to provide required curtailmentfor grid stability. Each structure has its own factors, as illustratedin FIG. 31 . Thus, the ALD selects and provides instructions to the ALCsand/or power consuming devices based upon profiles and attributes.Alternatively, least-cost algorithms may be used by the coordinator fordetermining communications routing and energy routing through the activegrid elements registered and updated within the systems and methods ofthe present invention.

Preferably, the system stores in memory on the server computerassociated with the database for storing information relating to theenergy management system and its various active grid elements, asdescribed in the specification, e.g., identification of the last powerconsuming device(s) used for satisfying a load curtailment event, andautomatically shifts their categorization for the ALD for purposes ofselection for the next curtailment event.

FIG. 33 depicts an exemplary IP-based active power management system 10in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Theexemplary power management system 10 monitors and manages powerdistribution to a multiplicity of active grid elements via a coordinatorand/or an active load director (ALD) server 100 connected between one ormore utility control centers (UCCs) 200 (one shown) and one or moreactive load clients (ALCs) 300 (one shown). The ALD server 100 maycommunicate with the utility control center 200 and each active loadclient 300 either directly or through a network 80 using the InternetProtocol (IP) or any other connection-based protocols. For example, theALD server 100 may communicate using RF systems operating via one ormore base stations 90 (one shown) using one or more wirelesscommunication protocols, such as Global System for Mobile communications(GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), High Speed Packet Access(HSDPA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), or Code Division MultipleAccess data standards, including CDMA 2000, CDMA Revision A, and CDMARevision B. Alternatively, or additionally, the ALD server 100 maycommunicate via a digital subscriber line (DSL) capable connection,cable television based IP capable connection, or any combinationthereof. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the ALD server 100communicates with one or more active load clients (ALCs) 300 using acombination of traditional IP-based communication (e.g., over a trunkedline) to a base station 90 and a wireless channel implementing the WiMaxprotocol for the “last mile” from the base station 90 to the active loadclient 300.

Each active grid element 300 is accessible through a specified address(e.g., IP address), and for the case of ALCs, each one controls andmonitors the state of other active grid elements associated with them,for example, individual smart breaker modules or intelligent appliances60 installed in the business or residence 20 to which the ALC 300 isassociated (e.g., connected or supporting). Each ALC 300 is associatedwith a single residential or commercial customer. In one embodiment, theALC 300 communicates with a residential load center 400 that containssmart breaker modules, which are able to switch from an “ON” (active)state to an “OFF” (inactive), and vice versa, responsive to signalingfrom the ALC 300. Smart breaker modules may include, for example, smartbreaker panels manufactured by Schneider Electric SA under the trademark“Square D” or Eaton Corporation under the trademark “Cutler-Hammer” forinstallation during new construction. For retro-fitting existingbuildings, smart breakers having means for individual identification andcontrol may be used. Typically, each smart breaker controls a singleappliance and may be embedded in circuits or individual appliances orappliance controls or appliance control devices, whether internal to thedevice housing, or external thereto (e.g., a washer/dryer 30, a hotwater heater 40, an HVAC unit 50, or a pool pump 70).

Additionally, the ALC 300 may control other active grid elements, e.g.,individual smart appliances, directly (e.g., without communicating withthe residential load center 300) via one or more of a variety of knowncommunication protocols (e.g., IP, Broadband over PowerLine (BPL) in itsvarious forms, including through specifications promulgated or beingdeveloped by the HOMEPLUG Powerline Alliance and the IEEE, Ethernet,Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, WiMax, etc.). Typically, a smart appliance 60includes a power control module (not shown) having communicationabilities. The power control module is installed in-line with the powersupply to the appliance, between the actual appliance and the powersource (e.g., the power control module is plugged into a power outlet atthe home or business and the power cord for the appliance is pluggedinto the power control module). Thus, when the power control modulereceives a command to turn off the appliance 60, it disconnects theactual power supplying the appliance 60. Alternatively, a smartappliance 60 may include a power control module integrated directly intothe appliance, which may receive commands and control the operation ofthe appliance directly (e.g., a smart thermostat may perform suchfunctions as raising or lowering the set temperature, switching an HVACunit on or off, or switching a fan on or off). All of these variousactive grid elements are automatically managed and provide for automaticmessaging with the Coordinator and/or other active grid elements withwhich they are associated, as described herein.

There are several types of messages that the active grid elements (forexample, an ALC manager 108) may receive from a coordinator and processaccordingly. By way of example and not limitation, a security alertmessage, a priority message, a report trigger message, a status responsemessage, a status update message, a power savings message, andcombinations thereof. A security alert message originates from anoptional security or safety monitoring system installed in the residenceor business and coupled to the active grid element(s) (e.g., wirelesslyor via a wired connection). When a security alert message is received bythe Coordinator, it accesses the database to obtain routing informationfor determining where to send the alert, and then sends the alert asdirected to those active grid elements affected or associated with thealert messaging. For example, the Coordinator may be programmed to sendthe alert or another message (e.g., IP-based message, an electronic mailmessage, a pre-recorded voice message, and combinations thereof) to asecurity monitoring service company and/or the owner of the residence orbusiness.

A report trigger message alerts the Coordinator that a predeterminedamount of power, PSV, PTB, and combinations thereof has been consumed bya specific device monitored by an active grid element. When a reporttrigger message is received from the active grid element(s), theCoordinator logs the information contained in the message in thedatabase for the active grid element(s) associated with the informationsupplied. The power consumption information, including PSV, PTB, andcombinations thereof, is then used by the Coordinator to determine theactive grid elements (ALDs/ALCs) to which to send a power reduction or“Cut” or reduce message during a power reduction event to satisfy theoperating reserve requirement.

A status response message reports the type and status of each activegrid element in communication with the Coordinator. When a statusresponse message is received from an active grid element, theCoordinator automatically logs the information contained in the messagein the database.

In another embodiment, a power savings message and/or application may beoptionally included to calculate the total amount of power saved by eachutility or market participant during a power reduction event (referredto herein as a “Cut event” or “reduce event”), as well as the amount ofpower saved, PSV, PTB, and combinations for each active grid elementthat reduced the amount of power delivered, PSV, PTB, and combinationsthereof, and matched against a baseline associated with that active gridelement. The power savings application 120 accesses the data stored inthe database 124 for each customer serviced by a particular utility andstores the total cumulative power savings, or PSV (e.g., in megawattsper hour, or kWH/MWH) aggregated by participating active grid elementsand/or accumulated by each utility for each Cut or reduce event, i.e.,curtailment or load control event, in which the active grid elementsand/or utility participated as an entry in the database.

FIG. 34 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary active loadclient 300 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.The depicted active grid element (here functioning as an active loadclient (ALC) 300) includes a Linux-based operating system 302, a statusresponse generator 304, a smart breaker module controller 306, a smartdevice interface 324, a communications interface 308, a securityinterface 310, an IP-based communication converter 312, a device controlmanager 314, a smart breaker (B1-BN) counter manager 316, a reporttrigger application 318, an IP router 320, a smart meter interface 322,a security device interface 328, and an IP device interface 330. Theactive grid element as ALC, in this embodiment, is a computer orprocessor-based system located on-site at a customer's residence orbusiness. The primary function of the active grid elements/ALCs is tomanage the power load levels of controllable devices located at theresidence or business, which the active load client 300 oversees onbehalf of the customer. In an exemplary embodiment, the software runningon the active grid element operates using the Linux embedded operatingsystem 302 to manage the hardware and the general software environment.One skilled in the art will readily recognize that other operatingsystems, such as Microsoft's family of operating systems, Mac OS, andSun OS, C++, machine language, among others, may be alternatively used.Additionally, the active load client 300 may include DHCP clientfunctionality to enable the active grid elements to dynamically requestIP addresses for themselves and/or one or more controllable devices402-412, 420, 460 (which may be other active grid element s) associatedtherewith and/or managed thereby from a DHCP server on the host IPnetwork facilitating communications between the active load client 300and the ALD server 100. The active grid element may further includerouter functionality and maintain a routing table of assigned IPaddresses in a memory of the active grid element to facilitate deliveryof messages from the active grid elements to the controllable devices402-412, 420, 460 and/or also for messaging via the network with theCoordinator.

A communications interface 308 facilitates connectivity between theactive grid elements and the Coordinator(s), which may also includeALDs/ASDs. Communication between the active grid elements and theCoordinator and/or server and/or processor coupled with memory(functioning as server) may be based on any type of IP or otherconnection protocol, including but not limited to, the WiMax protocol,and equivalents or alternatives, as discussed in the foregoing. Thus,the communications interface 308 may be a wired or wireless modem, awireless access point, or other appropriate interface for any and all ofthe active grid elements.

A standard IP Layer-3 router 320 routes messages received by thecommunications interface 308 to both the active grid element sand to anyother locally connected devices 440, which may include other active gridelements that are registered with the system and/or energy router(coordinator). The router 320 and/or coordinator including routingfunctions determines if a received message is directed to the activegrid element and, if so, passes the message to a security interface 310to be decrypted (if encrypted messaging). The security interface 310provides protection for the contents of the messages exchanged betweenthe Coordinator, server, and the active grid elements. The messagecontent is encrypted and decrypted by the security interface 310 using,for example, a symmetric encryption key composed of a combination of theIP address and GPS data for the active grid elements or any othercombination of known information. If the message is not directed to theactive grid elements, then it is passed to the IP device interface 330for delivery to one or more locally connected active grid elements, asdetermined by the coordinator. For example, the IP router 320 may beprogrammed to route power management system messages (including any typeof messaging relevant to the active grid elements) as well asconventional Internet messages. In such a case, the active grid elementsand Coordinator(s) may function as a gateway for Internet servicesupplied to the residence or business, or to other active grid elements,instead of using separate Internet gateways or routers.

An IP based communication converter 312 opens incoming messages from theserver and/or Coordinator and directs them to the appropriate functionwithin the designated active grid elements. The converter 312 alsoreceives messages from various active grid element functions (e.g., adevice control manager 314, a status response generator 304, and areport trigger application 318), packages the messages in the formexpected by the Coordinator and/or server 100, and then passes them onto the security interface 310 for encryption.

The Coordinator routes and/or processes power management commands and/orcommand messages for various active grid elements logically connected.The active grid elements may include, by way of example and notlimitation, smart breakers, smart meters, load control appliances,building control systems, and the like, 402-412 or other IP-baseddevices 420, such as smart appliances with individual control modules(not shown). Preferably, the Coordinator also processes “Query Request”or equivalent commands or messages from the server by querying a statusresponse generator (which may be included within the Coordinatorprocessing and/or database associated therewith) which maintains thetype and status of each active grid element associated with theCoordinator, and providing the statuses to the server and/or databasefor retention, analysis, and other processing or reporting. The “QueryRequest” message may include information other than mere statusrequests, including settings for active grid elements, by way of exampleand not limitation, such as temperature set points for thermallycontrolled devices, time intervals during which load control ispermitted or prohibited, dates during which load control is permitted orprohibited, and priorities of device control (e.g., during a powerreduction event, hot water heater and pool pump are turned off beforeHVAC unit is turned off), PSV, PTB, and/or combinations thereof.

The Coordinator messaging with the active grid elements also preferablyincludes status response generator 304 that receives status messagesfrom the server and, responsive thereto, polls each active grid elementand/or controllable device 402-412, 420, 460 to determine whether theyare functioning and in good operational order. Each active grid elementresponds to the polls with operational information (e.g., activitystatus and/or error reports) in a status response message. TheCoordinator stores the status responses in a memory (or routes them tothe database for storage) associated with the status response generatorfor reference in connection with power management events for supplyand/or load curtailment.

Preferably, the Coordinator and each of the active grid elements furtherincludes a smart device interface 324 that facilitates IP or otheraddress-based communications with and from individual active gridelements 420 (e.g., smart appliance power control modules). Theconnectivity can be through one of several different types of networks,including but not limited to, BPL, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or directEthernet communications. Thus, the smart device interface 324 is a modemadapted for use in or on the network connecting the active grid elementswith other active grid elements, including smart devices and appliances.The smart device interface 324 also allows the Coordinator to managethose devices that have the capability to sense temperature settings andrespond to temperature variations.

By way of describing another embodiment, all active grid elements,including but not limited to smart breakers, smart meters, load controlappliances, building control systems, and the like, module controller306 formats, sends, and receives messages, including power control, PSV,PTB, and/or combinations thereof, instructions, to and from the smartbreaker module 400. In one embodiment, the communications is preferablythrough a BPL connection. In such embodiment, the smart breaker modulecontroller 306 includes a BPL modem and operations software. The smartbreaker module 400 contains individual smart breakers, smart meters,load control appliances, building control systems, and the like,402-412, wherein each smart breaker 402-412 includes an applicable modem(e.g., a BPL modem when BPL is the networking technology employed) andis preferably in-line with power supplied to a single appliance or otherdevice. The B1-BN counter manager 316 determines and stores real timepower usage for each installed smart breaker 402-412. For example, thecounter manager 316 tracks or counts the amount of power or PSV, PTB,and/or combinations used by each smart breaker 402-412 and stores thecounted amounts of power in a memory of the active load client 300associated with the counter manager 316. When the counter for anybreaker 402-412 reaches a predetermined limit, the counter manager 316provides an identification number corresponding to the smart breaker402-412 and the corresponding amount of power (power number), PSV, PTB,and combinations thereof, to the report trigger application 318. Oncethe information is passed to the report trigger application 318, thecounter manager 316 resets the counter for the applicable breaker402-412 to zero so that information can once again be collected. Thereport trigger application 318 then creates a reporting messagecontaining identification information for the active load client 300,identification information for the particular smart breaker 402-412, andthe power number, and sends the report to the IP based communicationconverter 312 for transmission to the server 100.

Preferably, the systems and methods of the present invention provide forautomated remote updating of active grid elements via communicationsthrough the network with the Coordinator(s), including but not limitedto software, firmware, chipsets, kernels, and combinations thereof.Updating through the Coordinator(s) and/or central server, and/ordedicated server for updating active grid elements is provided by thepresent invention. Also, commands are sent for purposes for updating anyand all attributes of the active grid elements, including PSV, and/orPTB by a central and/or remote device or server, or processor, meant toenhance for update PSV, PTB, or location of PTB server point ASIC withinan IP message or proprietary message that deal with table spaces,pricing, changes in acceptable time increments, status messages,location of market (LMP, node, electrical bus, etc.) for the load formarketing, aggregated, settled, and combinations thereof. The updatingis for purposes of PSV, PTB, or ability to know the health and/or statusof any active grid elements within any zone within the electric powergrid. Thus, the systems and methods of the present invention provide forautomatic updating of any and all active grid elements by remote serveror dedicated device(s), through Coordinator(s) and/or directly to activegrid elements that affect any aspect of updating of active grid elementsrelating to software, firmware, rules, metrology, ASICs, chipsets,machine code, operating systems, and combinations thereof. Furthermore,active grid elements may be updated for improved or increased accuracyof active grid elements to qualify PSV and PTB associated therewith.Also, the present invention provides for active grid elements with smartcross-communication that provide for at least one active grid element totransmit commands to at least one other active grid element within thenetwork associated with the electric power grid.

FIG. 35 illustrates an exemplary operational flow diagram 600 providingsteps executed by the server (e.g., as part of the Coordinator) toconfirm automatically the registration of any grid element to the powermanagement system 10 associated with the electric power grid, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The steps arepreferably implemented as a set of computer instructions (software)stored in a memory (not shown) of the server and/or Coordinator andexecuted by one or more processors (not shown) of the server. Inaccordance with the logic flow, the Coordinator 108 receives (602) anautomated messaging from any grid element that is energized, but notalready registered with the system; the messaging includes attributes ofthe grid element as set forth hereinabove. The Coordinator responds withmessaging to confirm the registration of the grid element, which thentransforms it into an active grid element, thereby providing itsfunctionality to be associated with the electric power grid. An “Update”or similar transaction message or command from the Coordinator that usesthe IP address specified in the “Update” message to send (604) out a“Query Request” or similar message or command to the active gridelement. The “Query Request” message includes a list of active gridelements the server 100 expects to be managed automatically. Updatingsoftware, firmware, or any code embodiment via communication network viaIP messages after the active grid elements are registered via theCoordinator or other operations processor/database. The Coordinator alsoreceives (606) a query reply containing information about the activegrid elements (e.g., current IP network, operational state (e.g.,functioning or not), setting of all the counters for measuring currentusage (e.g., all are set to zero at initial set up time), status ofactive grid elements or other devices being controlled (e.g., eitherswitched to the “on” state or “off” state)). The Coordinator updates(608) the database with the latest status information obtained from theactive grid element. If the Coordinator detects (610), from the queryreply, or as indicated in the messaging from the active grid elementthat the active grid element is functioning properly, it sets (612) theactive grid element state to “registered” and/or “active” to allowparticipation in Coordinator server activities within the electric powergrid and power management system associated therewith. However, if theCoordinator detects (610) that the active grid element is notfunctioning properly, it sends (614) a “Service” or similar transactionmessage or command to a service dispatch manager 126.

Referring now to FIG. 36 , an exemplary operational flow diagram 700 isillustrated providing steps executed by the Coordinator and/or server100 (e.g., as part of the master event manager 106) to manage activitiesand/or events in the exemplary power load management system 10 andcommunication about them with registered and active grid elements, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The steps arepreferably implemented as a set of computer instructions (software)stored in a memory (not shown) of the server and executed by one or moreprocessors (not shown) of the server and/or Coordinator. Pursuant to thelogic flow, the Coordinator tracks (702) current power usage and/or PSVwithin each utility and/or active grid element associated with theCoordinator and/or server.

Additionally, active grid element profiles for power consumption areincluded in the present invention. The embodiments described utilizeconcepts disclosed in published patent application US 2009/0062970,entitled “System and Method for Active Power Load Management” which isincorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The followingparagraphs describe the Active Management Load System (ALMS), whichincludes at least one Active Load Director (ALD), and at least oneActive Load Client (ALC) in sufficient detail to assist the reader inthe understanding of the embodiments described herein. More detaileddescription of the ALMS, ALD, and ALC can be found in US 2009/0062970,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

By way of example, based upon the reduction in consumed power, thesystems and methods of the present invention provide for generating atthe control center a power supply value (PSV) corresponding to thereduction in consumed power by the active grid elements. Importantly,the PSV is an actual value that includes measurement and verification ofthe reduction in consumed power; such measurement and verificationmethods may be determined by the appropriate governing body or authorityfor the electric power grid(s). Power Supply Value (PSV) is calculatedat the meter or submeter or at building control system or at any activegrid element that measures power within the standard as supplied by theregulatory body(ies) that govern the regulation of the grid. PSVvariations may depend on operating tolerances, operating standard foraccuracy of the measurement. The PSV enables transformation ofcurtailment or reduction in power at the active grid element level byany system that sends or receives an IP message to be related to orequated to supply as presented to the governing entity that acceptsthese values and award supply equivalence, for example of a powergenerating entity or an entity allowed to control active grid elementssuch as power consuming devices as permitted by the governing body ofthe electric power grid, e.g., FERC, NERC, etc.

PSV associated with active grid elements may be provided in units ofelectrical power flow, monetary equivalent, and combinations thereof.Thus, the PSV provides an actual value that is confirmed by measurementand/or verification, thereby providing for a curtailment value as arequirement for providing supply to the power grid, wherein the supplyto the power electric power grid is provided for grid stability, voltagestability, reliability, and combinations thereof, and is furtherprovided as responsive to an energy management system or equivalent forproviding grid stability, reliability, frequency as determined bygoverning authority for the electric power grid and/or grid operator(s).

Energy consumption patterns associated with active grid elements aresubject to analysis that may be used for a variety of different types ofactivities. For example, based on the energy consumption patternscreated from this data, the Coordinator will derive performance curvesand/or data matrices for each service point to which the active gridelements are attached and determine the amount of energy reduction thatcan be realized from each active grid element and its functionalitywithin the electric power grid. The Coordinator(s) create a list ofservice points associated with the active grid elements through whichenergy consumption can be reduced via demand side management,interruptible load, or spinning/regulation reserves. This informationcan be manipulated by the Coordinator and/or ALD processes to create aprioritized, rotational order of control, called “intelligent loadrotation” which is described in detail below. This rotational shiftingof the burden of the interruptible load has the practical effect ofreducing and flattening the utility load curve while allowing theserving utility to effectively group its customers within the ALD or itsown databases by energy efficiency.

Generally, the embodiments described encompass a closed loop system andmethod for creating a profile, calculating and deriving patterns ofenergy usage and supply, and making use of those patterns whenimplemented through the machinery of a system comprised of active gridelements combined with the physical communications link and when theseinputs are manipulated through a computer, processor, memory, routersand other necessary machines as those who are skilled in the art wouldexpect to be utilized.

The present invention also considers the concept of “drift” as appliedto electric power grids and active grid elements associated therewith.The data gathered for the active grid element profile is used toempirically derive the decay rate or drift, temperature slope, or adynamic equation (f{x}) whereby the service point (or device) will havea uniquely derived “fingerprint” or energy usage pattern for individualand/or aggregated active grid element(s).

The embodiments disclosed also make use of the “intelligent loadrotation” concept. Intelligent load rotation uses machine intelligenceto ensure that the same active grid elements are not always selected forcontrol events, but distributes control events over a service area insome equitable way and/or least cost analysis-applied manner, or otheranalytical approach for optimizing the electric power grid resources andfunctions of the associated active grid elements registered forautomated intercommunication therewith.

In another embodiment, energy consumption patterns in active gridelements profiles are used to identify active grid elements that are thebest targets for excess power sharing. This would occur when renewableenergy such as solar or wind is added to the grid, resulting in powerthat cannot be compensated for by the grid. This could occur, forexample, on very windy days. When this happens, utilities or marketparticipant, grid operator, EMS, or equivalent are faced with theproblem of what to do with the excess energy. Instead of cutting powerto service points in order to affect power savings, a utility, marketparticipant, grid operator, EMS, or equivalent could add energy toservice points and through active grid elements associated with thoseservices points in order to effect power dissipation. The service pointsand/or active grid elements selected by the Coordinator may be different(or even the inverse) of those selected for power savings. The devicesat these service points would be turned on if they were off or setpoints for climate-controlled devices would be adjusted to heat or coolmore than normal. Spread out over many control points, this can providethe energy dissipation needed.

In a further embodiment, energy consumption patterns within active gridelements profiles could be used to identify opportunities for upselling, down selling, or cross selling. These opportunities may bedetermined by the power utility or by its partners. Data from activegrid elements profiles may be used to provide insights on inefficientdevices, defective devices, or devices that require updating to meetcurrent standards. Active grid elements profiles data, individually orcollectively (or selectively) in the aggregate, may also be used toidentify related power grid participation opportunities.

According to the present invention, PSV for any of the active gridelements may be generated by methods including information relating tobaselining historical load, estimating based upon curves, real-time ornear-real-time value, and combinations thereof. Advantageously, thepresent invention provides active load and/or supply management metricsfor each of the active grid elements, including PSV, much better thanmerely statistical estimate for a command as with prior art; PSV alsofurther provides for steps of measurement and settlement. FERC requiresthat the settlement credits provide at point where it occurs; so thensettlement information follows the transaction; most preferably,according to the present invention, settlement occurs in real time ornear real time, as in financial transactions or other commoditytransactions, such as for natural gas supply. Also, preferably, there isa defined interval that is accepted or acceptable by the governingentity for the electric power grid, wherein each transaction is recordedas it occurs. Furthermore, the present invention provides for IPreal-time communications that provide for settlement of the curtailmentby load-consuming devices at or approximate to the time of thetransaction, i.e., the curtailment. Also, preferably, there is data thatprovides supporting evidence attached with the IP real-timecommunication of the acceptance of the power event, and thenautomatically recorded in a settlement database and associated with eachactive grid elements registered within the system through theCoordinator(s). Also, some information related to this transaction andits settlement is transmitted to the energy/curtailment purchaser, andthen also the seller is paid according to the PSV and/or PTB related tothe curtailment event.

Power Trading Blocks (PTBs) are dependent upon the grid operator or ISO;there must be enough curtailment or supply for the grid operator toaccept, settle, and monetize, including individual and/or collective orselectively aggregated data for active grid elements registered with thesystem. At this time, the PTB is 100 kWatts in most electric powergrids, such as a conventional utility or independent system operator orgrid or microgrid operator. Generally, the power available as operatingreserves is traded in larger amounts, PTB size, to be significant enoughto beneficially stabilize the grid and its operating reserves. At thistime, the regional trading organization or geographic-specific grid andcorresponding regulations therefor, determine the PTB size, whichtypically requires the aggregation of load from a multiplicity ofconsumers, residential or commercial, to reach a minimum PTB size or PTBunit. The PTB unit, combined with the PSV, and the real-time securecommunications used with ALC/ALD function to lower the size of theminimum PTB required to form a PTB unit for grid reception andsettlement purposes. The commercial impact determines the minimum PTBsize, which corresponds to a PTB unit, due to cost and timing ofcommunication of the information related to the curtailment event(s) andresponse by the device(s), and how aggregation of load curtailment bythe multiplicity of devices is managed to ensure maximum compensation tothe customer(s) associated with the device(s) for the curtailment event,with minimum negative physical impact to those consumers and/or devicesfrom the curtailment event.

Active grid elements profiles may also be dynamic. An example of thiswould be the ability for active grid elements to utilize real timecommunications from an electric utility grid, market, marketparticipant, utility, REP, CSP or any other entity authorized on behalfof the owner to act on their behalf to control load consuming devicesowned by the consumer and connected to the electric utility grid. Theactive grid elements receive this information automatically through aplurality of methods utilizing IP-based communications methods and webbased devices such as smart phones, computers, text messages, pagingmessages, or even voice response units or live customer service agents.Under this real time scenario, active grid elements could dynamically“Opt In” to a pre-determined profile or “Opt Out” or more importantlychange the profile dynamically to take advantage of real time marketpricing of electricity being sold by the utility, market participant,REP or any entity authorized to buy, sell and trade electric commodityor demand response products on behalf of the owner.

The present invention has adequately described in great detail how theactive grid elements are associated with the Coordinator the employmentof computer assisted apparatus that include, but are not limited toprocessors, ASICS, memory, analytics, communications interfaces andmethodologies, databases, both relational, high performance “historian”databases, persistence and cache layers, metadata layers, analyticsengines, monitoring and reporting active grid elements, InternetProtocal, Ethernet, carrier grade wired and wireless networks,proprietary networks, TDM wireless and wired networks, analog anddigital telemetry subsystems, Coordinators, Active Supply Directors anda plurality of the above both centralized, networked together anddistributed. While the previous descriptions have been detailed in theembodiment of FERC 745 Load acting as supply, one skilled in the artwill correlate those functions previously described as they apply to thesupply side for FERC 750 and 755, including settlement.

These highly decentralized networks must be capable of operatingdirectly under the control of an EMS, through a Coordinator, and foractive grid elements autonomously if they are disconnected from themacro electric grid or have voluntarily opted to disconnect themselvesfrom the electric grid temporarily or permanently. The present inventionprovides through software, hardware and advanced communicationsmethodologies the capabilities of many small DER resources associatedwith the active grid elements to perform and deliver their energyresource directly to the electric grid interconnected as they were amacro resource with aggregated PSV values that build up to minimum PTBblocks that can be both presented, operated and monetized by a MarketParticipant, REP, Utility, IPP, a Company acting as their own energyagent or a plurality of all of the above.

The present invention also provides for intermittent resourcespreviously described the ability to be balanced, regulated and offeredto the grid as reliably as DER resources. Balancing DER resources wouldsuggest that a plurality of these resources may be collocated at thesame service point/attachment or be themselves disaggregated from eachother physically, but interconnected via the present invention and itsattributes. An embodiment of this type of DER would be a commercialbuilding that has installed solar film, panels or combinations thereof,a wind or water turbine, and a back-up generator at the sameinstallation. These different resources with their different DERattributes must all be combined through an ASC that would have thecapability of providing for primary frequency control per supply source,voltage control, meet the appropriate attachment regulations that may bedifferent based upon the location of the DER supply on the distributionor transmission system and operating those systems either through acoordinator and an EMS or autonomously from both while still offeringits supply to the interconnected electric grid. The present inventionfunctions to communicate and control the DER resources based uponavailability of the resource, what the grid's energy needs are at themoment of the energy being presented by or through a Market Participantor if permitted by the governing entity an individual consumer utilizingthe present invention or the economic incentives that are profile based,sold in advance through an approved trading organization approved by thegoverning entity, or supplied in real time at the attachment point onthe grid and supplied through the present invention as directed by anEnergy Management System or providing those EMS services due to an EMSnot being available at the time the resource is delivered and wherebythe apparatus of the present invention is providing energy and gridstabilizing resources from the available sources, balanced upon whateach resource can provide reliably to the interconnection of theelectric grid.

Other embodiments of DER that can be used with the present inventionwould be communication facilities such as wireless communications towersowned by carriers, tower leasing companies such as American Tower, CrownCastle Inc. SBA Inc etc. whereby standby generation, batteries, solar,wind or other forms of backup generation including fuel cells arepresent to insure reliability. Wireline facilities such as data centers,central offices, television, cable and other communications criticalinfrastructure are all examples of micro and macrogrid interconnectionswhereby latent standby generation and DER resources may already bepresent and whereby the use of the described invention would be used tointerconnect these DER resources to the electric power grid.

It should be noted that many terms and acronyms are used in thisdescription that are well-defined in the telecommunications and/orcomputer networking industries and are well understood by personsskilled in these arts, and in electric power management arts. Completedescriptions of these terms and acronyms, whether defining atelecommunications standard or protocol, can be found in readilyavailable telecommunications standards and literature and are notdescribed in any detail herein.

It will be appreciated that embodiments or components of the systemsdescribed herein may be comprised of one or more conventional processorsand unique stored program instructions that control the one or moreprocessors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processorcircuits, some, most, or all of the functions for managing power loadand/or supply distribution, and tracking and controlling individualsubscriber power consumption and savings, and power supply in one ormore power load and/or supply management systems. The non-processorcircuits may include, but are not limited to, radio receivers, radiotransmitters, antennas, modems, signal drivers, clock circuits, powersource circuits, relays, meters, sub-meters, smart breakers, currentsensors, and customer input devices. As such, these functions may beinterpreted as steps of a method to distribute information and controlsignals between devices in a power load and/or supply management system.Alternatively, some or all functions could be implemented by a statemachine that has no stored program instructions, or in one or moreapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), in which each functionor some combinations of functions are implemented as custom logic. Ofcourse, a combination of the two approaches could be used. Thus, methodsand means for these functions have been described herein. Further, it isexpected that one of ordinary skill in the art, notwithstanding possiblysignificant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example,available time, current technology, and economic considerations, whenguided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein, will be readilycapable of generating such software instructions, programs andintegrated circuits (ICs), and appropriately arranging and functionallyintegrating such non-processor circuits, without undue experimentation.

Additionally, measurement, verification, settlement for the PSV forthose market participants involved in the power management of the systemis further included in the application of the present invention. Also,the systems, methods, and apparatus of the present invention may furtherinclude a database, a processor, software operable thereon, andinterfaces to outside market participants that provide for capacityreservation of the distribution and transmission systems.

In embodiments of the present invention, supply and/or load curtailmentas supply active grid elements may further include additional componentsto facilitate their automatic registration with the systems, methods,and apparatus of the present invention. Furthermore, messaging forregistration between these active grid elements and the Coordinatorand/or ASD may include an initial messaging for the first registrationcommunication that provides information necessary for activation,operation, and integration with the electric power grid, including allfuture messaging, prioritization, profiles, updates, upgrades,modifications, settlement, security, and combinations thereof. TheCoordinator, following the initial messaging from the active gridelements, may optionally provide a “energy cookie” that functions tofacilitate the activities of the Coordinator for management, control,messaging, and matching to maintain and balance the EMS requirementswith those of the electric power grid and all of the registered gridelements that are transformed into active grid elements thereon.

In the foregoing specification, the present invention has been describedwith reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skillin the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention as set forth in the appended claims. For example, the presentinvention is applicable for managing the distribution of power fromutility companies to subscribing customers using any number of IP-basedor other communication methods. Additionally, the functions of specificmodules within the server and/or active grid elements may be performedby one or more equivalent means. Accordingly, the specification anddrawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within thescope of the present invention.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have beendescribed above with regard to specific embodiments of the presentinvention. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, andany active grid elements that may cause or result in such benefits,advantages, or solutions to become more pronounced are not to beconstrued as a critical, required, or essential feature or element ofany or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appendedclaims including any amendments made during the pendency of thisapplication and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the foregoing description. The above-mentionedexamples are provided to serve the purpose of clarifying the aspects ofthe invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthey do not serve to limit the scope of the invention. All modificationsand improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of concisenessand readability but are properly within the scope of the presentinvention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for electric power grid managementand communication, comprising: at least one grid element constructed andconfigured in network-based communication with a server via at least onecoordinator; wherein the at least one coordinator is operable toregister and introduce the at least one grid element to an electricpower grid; wherein the at least one grid element is transformed into atleast one active grid element automatically and/or autonomously uponregistration with the at least one coordinator; wherein the at least oneactive grid element is operable to send status messages to the servervia the at least one coordinator; wherein the status messages includeactivity status and/or information regarding whether the at least oneactive grid element is in an on or off state; wherein the at least onecoordinator is operable to receive revenue grade metrology dataassociated with the at least one active grid element; wherein the servergenerates operating reserves based on the status messages from the atleast one active grid element and/or the revenue grade metrology dataassociated with the at least one active grid element; and wherein the atleast one active grid element includes at least one environmentalcondition indicating device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the atleast one coordinator is operable to aggregate power consumption amountsfrom a plurality of nodes associated with at least one area, and, basedon the power supply requests, generate an Area Control Error (ACE). 3.The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one coordinator includes atleast one router.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least onecoordinator is in communication with a database, and wherein the statusmessages from the at least one active grid element are stored in thedatabase.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one active gridelement includes at least one smart thermostat.
 6. The system of claim1, wherein the status messages are transmitted in real time or withinapproximately 15 minutes.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the activegrid element has a unique grid identifier, and wherein the unique gridelement identifier includes an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)address or a Media Access Control (MAC) address.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein the at least one grid element includes a set of profiles orcommands that enable creation of microgrids that autonomously operateindependently of a macro-grid operator upon loss of communication orpower.
 9. A method for managing an electric power grid, comprising:providing at least one grid element constructed and configured fornetwork-based communication with a server via at least one coordinator;the at least one coordinator registering and introducing the at leastone grid element to an electric power grid; the at least one gridelement transforming into at least one active grid element automaticallyand/or autonomously upon registration with the at least one coordinator;the at least one active grid element sending status messages to theserver via the at least one coordinator; the at least one coordinatorreceiving revenue grade metrology data associated with the at least oneactive grid element; and the server providing operating reserves basedon the status messages from the at least one active grid element and/orthe revenue grade metrology data associated with the at least one activegrid element; wherein the status messages include error reports, healthstatus, activity status, and/or information regarding whether the atleast one active grid element is in an on or off state; and wherein theat least one active grid element includes at least one environmentalcondition indicating device.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising the at least one coordinator aggregating power consumptionamounts from a plurality of nodes associated with at least one area,and, based on the power supply requests, generate an Area Control Error(ACE).
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one coordinatorincludes at least one router.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the atleast one coordinator is in communication with a database, and whereinstatus messages from the at least one active grid element are stored inthe database.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one activegrid element includes at least one smart thermostat.
 14. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the status messages are transmitted in real time orwithin approximately 15 minutes.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein theactive grid element has a unique grid element identifier, and whereinthe unique grid element identifier includes an Internet Protocol version6 (IPv6) address or a Media Access Control (MAC) address.
 16. The methodof claim 9, wherein the at least one grid element includes a set ofprofiles or commands that enable creation of microgrids thatautonomously operate independently of a macro-grid operator upon loss ofcommunication or power.
 17. A system for electric power grid managementand communication, comprising: at least one grid element constructed andconfigured in network-based communication with a server via at least onecoordinator; wherein the at least one coordinator is operable toregister and introduce the at least one grid element to an electricpower grid; wherein the at least one grid element is transformed into atleast one active grid element automatically and/or autonomously uponregistration with the at least one coordinator; wherein the at least oneactive grid element includes at least one environmental conditionindicating device, and wherein the at least one coordinator is operableto receive status messages from the at least one environmental conditionindicating device. wherein the at least one active grid element has aunique grid element identifier; wherein the at least one coordinator isoperable to receive revenue grade metrology data associated with the atleast one active grid element; and wherein the server is operable toprovide operating reserves based on the status messages from the atleast one active grid element and/or the revenue grade metrology dataassociated with the at least one active grid element.
 18. The system ofclaim 17, wherein the at least one active grid element is operable tosend status messages to the server via the at least one coordinator, andwherein the status messages include error reports, health status,activity status, and/or information regarding whether the at least oneactive grid element is in an on or off state.
 19. The system of claim17, wherein the at least one coordinator is operable to aggregate powerconsumption amounts from a plurality of nodes associated with at leastone area, and, based on the power supply requests, generate an AreaControl Error (ACE).
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the at leastone coordinator includes at least one router.